Take your medicine
by Kazhiru
Summary: Robin has caught an odd case of flu. Slade, on the other hand, takes adventage of this, wanting to have Robin as his apprentice again. What will happen behind the closed doors of Slade's hideout? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Everything but the plot is not mine! I don't own Teen Titans *cry*

Hi, I'm Kazhiru and this is my first fan fic written in English. In this story, my main goal is to explore these characters' minds and to try to write some backgrounds, feelings, emotions, and all that mental stuff. Why? Because I need training and it'll be fun

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**Take Your Medicine, Chapter 1 (Edited by SladinForever)**

"But friend Robin, I must insist you stay home just this once!"

Starfire had been fussing over him the entire day and Robin finally had it up to here.

_'Just because I have the flu doesn't mean that I can't stop fighting crime and decide to go on hiatus!'_

"Starfire, please; I'm fine! Some stupid germ is not going to stop me," Robin said behind gritted teeth as he stomped to the main room of the tower.

The alarm had gone off just a moment ago and the Titans were gathered in for more information.

"But Robin, are you sure? What if it is something more? I am most worried about you."

"Star, I. Am. Fine!" he almost yelled at her, turning around.

_'Geez, what is the matter with her? Some people need help out there! It could be Control Freak, Red X, Mad Mod, or Plasmus! I simply can't go rest now! People need me! And it's not like I'd let some stupid germ stop me!' _he thought angrily.

Robin stepped into the main room where the big TV, living room, and kitchen were. The other team members stood quietly, waiting for his instructions.

"Team, we don't know what it is out there, but we will go there and stop it. I'm also very aware that we will have to separate to find it faster, but once you find it, call everyone."

Robin looked at the Titans, except Starfire, seeing as she stood behind him. Seemingly, he didn't even have any effort to turn on her. Maybe it was a small punishment for fussing over an already-made decision. The look on his face as he watched the other Titans, was stern, like he was saying, 'don't you even dare try and stop me'.

"Titans, GO!"

And with that, the Titans stormed out of the building. Reaching the garage, Robin picked up his helmet from his motorbike's handlebar and started forcing it onto his head.

"Robin, I know you want to save the city and there's nothing we can do to make you feel any better, but I think Starfire is right." Raven was speaking to him. "You should rest until we know more about your condition."

Robin pulled his helmet off in frustration and turned on his heel to look at her rather than speaking to his motorcycle.

"Raven, I will not just stand around. If you really feel that this is something that bad, you should heal me. I know you can."

Raven took a step forward so that she stood right in front of Robin. She stared into his mask-covered eyes with a rather sharp look.

"Robin, you need to understand. I already told you this once, and I'm going to repeat myself to you only once, so listen up," Raven said, just to assure Robin that her decision to not to cure him was final. "I know I can heal you, but healing every little flu is a waste of my powers and is plain stupid. If I heal every, single, little illness you might have, there is a slight possibility that your future diseases will evolve into a Nosocomial infection, and that means no antidote will save you."

Raven was dead serious as she stared at Robin with the same hard look. The Titan leader sighed as he surrendered to her. She had a point; he had heard about that. It was true that some viruses could and would become immune to medicines and that was a big problem in hospitals. It was really hard to just admit that Raven was right; his stubbornness just didn't leave much room for that option. Nevertheless…

_'I can do this goddammit!'_

"Raven, I understand you," he said. "I just…I'm frustrated, that's all. But enough talking. We need to go."

At least it was a start, Robin finally surrendering. He hung his head as a sign that he would not fight on the matter anymore.

"Robin, just take it easy," Raven said with a small, warm smile as she looked at him with slightly worried, but still reassuring, amethyst eyes.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Robin put his helmet back on his head lazily as he sat on his bike. He watched as the dark girl flew ahead. With a sigh, Robin hit the gas and rode away from the tower.

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Now that he had finally gotten away from those fussing Titans, his head felt heavy. That little encounter with the girls was really digging into Robin's nerves. Along the way, he had gained a headache and his mind felt foggy. He also felt a bit feverish, but he tried to hide it the best he could. After all, he had been able to hide his sickness and nausea from his friends, so he was confident that he would be able to hide it until he got back. No big deal.

Not much time passed before Robin parked his motorcycle by the side of an old warehouse and jumped off. Dizziness consumed him and he almost lost his balance the second he laid foot on the concrete. The Titan leader was barely able to compensate his footing before he fell.

_'Maybe the girls were right. Maybe some rest wouldn't be that bad of an idea…'_ he thought.

Robin was starting to get very tired at the thought. He was having trouble just trying to walk a straight line. The feeling of weakness and dizziness was making things harder as the world was spinning in his eyes. His limbs felt like they weighed a ton each. As the ground spun, his stomach growled from nausea. Sweat had started to form on his face. Robin wiped it off and stopped to take a break. The fever was rising, with benefits.

_'I got to get a hold of myself.'_ Robin pulled himself together and shook his head to get rid of the nauseous feeling. Unfortunately, that act just added to it. _'Okay…'_ he thought. Robin's world was spinning around him again. He fell to the ground since he couldn't keep his balance. _'Damn sickness.'_

Robin pushed himself up once more and crawled to the side of the building to hold himself up against the wall. He certainly wished the others had found the trouble already and, better yet, gotten rid of it.

Against his better judgment, Robin decided to rest a little. Not too long by any means, just enough for his headache to ease down. He slumped to the ground as he leaned against the wooden wall of the warehouse. His head was killing him. It felt like someone had been drilling a hole through his temple. Now it was getting harder and harder just to stay focused, or conscious for that matter. He felt dehydrated and feverish too. He was thirsty and hot. Cold chills surged through him every once in a while, just for the fun of it.

Unable to even sit up now, Robin fell on his side, resting his head on the cold gravel. The coldness felt cool and comforting against his hot skin. During this time, his breathing had gotten harder and louder. The gravel stuck to his sweating face, but he didn't care. He lay there for several long minutes until he decided to try walking again. He had felt nothing like this when he was at the tower. His condition had just taken a fast turn for the worse in less than ten minutes while he was driving on the streets of Jump City.

Robin pushed himself into an upright position and then stood up. He was still leaning against the wall for a little bit of comfort. Just when the Titan was about to take a look inside the old warehouse, his communicator started beeping. He whipped it into his hand, flipped the lid, and saw Beast Boy's face on the small screen, looking right at him.

_"Dude, what's wrong with you? You look dirty!"_ Beast Boy stated, referring to the dirt on Robin's face.

Wiping the rocks and tiny pebbles off, Robin asked with a hoarse voice, "Have you found it already? Where and what is it?"

Beast Boy looked grave. _"We saw Slade unfortunately. He's in an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city."_ The green Titan momentarily whipped out of sight to duck away from unidentifiable fragments that were flying towards his head. His face came back on screen. _"The others are already here and were in too big of a rush to call you." _

When the screen became blurry for only a moment,Robin assumed Beast Boy had quickly switched his location. He was soon back, leaning on a rather big wooden thing. A crate maybe.

"Are all of you okay in there? And where exactly is this warehouse?" Robin asked, sounding rather worried, or as worried as his sore voice would allow.

_"You know that big, old, red one about a mile from the freeway?"_

The screen became fuzzy again before revealing both Beast Boy and Cyborg looking at Robin, their faces filling the entire screen. The communicator was, after all, designed for personal use only, not group chat sessions.

"Are you all alright? What just happened out there?" Robin asked, his voice sounding rushed.

He watched his two teammates collect themselves together.

_"Well it's rather difficult over here. We don't think we can hold him much longer,"_ Cyborg said. _"Where the heck are you anyway?"_

Cyborg quickly snatched the communicator from Beast Boy's hand before pushing him back into the fighting.

"I'll be there in a second," Robin said. "I'm at an old warehouse about a mile-"

It dawned on Robin right when the main door exploded open, one door flying completely off while the other hung from its hinges. A thick blast of black smoke poured out from inside the building. Something black darted through it and started running towards the forest. It was the fastest route back into the city. Almost as a reflex, Robin was already on its heels, running after it as fast as he could. His communicator was left forgotten on the ground.

With how fast the figure was running, Robin had a good feeling it was indeed Slade. He really wished he wouldn't run all the way back to the city. His breathing had become ragged and hard, his muscles already burning. Normally, Robin could run much longer. And that's what worried him. He was afraid at how weak he had gotten by a simple, little flu virus. His breathing was soon hurting his lungs, the running strained his legs, and his head was becoming fuzzy again. He felt a migraine coming on as well.

The other Titans either couldn't catch up yet or hadn't even tried to come after them. Of course, they probably didn't know Robin was after Slade. The villain seemed to have no problem jumping from hillock to hillock and dodging the trees. Robin, on the other hand, had trouble keeping his mind concentrated and organized, what with the pain and nausea. He was faltering and stumbling on the bumpy ground.

Somehow, he managed to keep himself standing and running, even though his legs protested like mad. His sides were getting scratched up by the tree trunks when he couldn't dodge quick enough. Robin even had a long scratch on his left flank. His suit had been torn open and his sides were bleeding somewhat. But he just gritted his teeth and kept on running. There was nothing he could do for it now anyway. He just hoped that his wounds wouldn't get infected once this was all over.

The Titans were still nowhere to be seen. Slade didn't even seem tired. Robin, on the other hand, was losing his breath. His legs and lungs were hurting more than ever. He felt like he could start vomiting blood at any moment. Of course, with a normal flu, that couldn't happen. There was no logical reason for that _to_ happen. Besides, Robin knew it was all in his head. He just felt like vomiting. Ironically, he really could taste the flavor of blood in his mouth; he just pushed it aside. Robin's mouth felt terribly dry while he continued to run. His lungs felt like sandpaper and his head hurt like hell. He kept going from one hillock to the next however. Luckily, he could still see Slade up ahead of him. How the sick child was able to keep up with his speed was a mystery.

After a couple more minutes, Robin finally decided to quit. His muscles spasmed and refused to move another inch. Unable to hold himself up any longer, he stumbled over a log in his path. Branches, as he fell, scratched his face, arms, and legs badly enough to draw blood, but nothing serious. Luckily, he fell on smooth moss. His head wasn't too damaged, but his lungs had all the breath knocked out of them. His back had twisted in a tiny, arched angle, but not enough to actually hurt. Robin wasn't able to move from the spot because of these factors. He gasped and wheezed to get his lungs full of air, bringing in some dirt in the process.

With Robin unable to concentrate, his pain hit him good. All his muscles ached and his limbs felt heavy. Along with feeling thirsty, he had a problem with salivating. In fact, the saliva was almost foaming out of his mouth. The Titan felt his nausea, dizziness, and headache coming back to him ten fold. He started to cough to straighten his airways and to rid himself of the foam-like saliva, but his lungs didn't seem to have enough air to process such a simple task. He was practically choking. Sweat was forming all over his body and his clothes were getting wet when water seeped out of the moss from his weight. He was now getting cold, near freezing to be exact.

_'M-Must be the fever's…doing,' _Robin thought groggily.

As his vision blurred, Robin saw a steel-toed boot land right by his face. He quickly felt a tight and painful grip on the back of his neck before someone pulled him up from the dirt. His body screamed in pain but he didn't have the energy to protest. Robin hung in the cruel grip, his mind slowly falling into darkness. The last thing he saw before he lost full consciousness to the world was the green blur of the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: *Reads the last chapter just to jog memory* Hell! She really did wonders to it! Referring to that recent comment: I have a beta. And she is really good too! I owe her a lot. Now, everyone will give a big group thank you to SladinForever! Thank you for saving my authoress ass! This chapter is written to her just to show how grateful I am!

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**Take Your Medicine, Chapter 2 (Edited by SladinForever)**

Robin awoke with a small gasp. He had just had a nightmare where he was being chased towards the edge of a cliff. Once he was at the edge—more like the dead end—he turned his back to it. While backing up, he stumbled on some loose ground and fell. After falling for what seemed like eternity, he landed rock bottom on his back. He was panting furiously to get air to his lungs.

The dream had felt so real! He remembered the feeling of his blood freezing in his veins, the wind rustling against his clothes, and the pain in his back. He remembered the feeling of his lungs collapsing, the chills he had felt creeping back along his spine as he thought about it. Robin remembered it so well: the fading background and the black figure standing on the edge of the cliff when he fell.

'_A black figure?'_ All of a sudden, Robin remembered the figure on the cliff. He couldn't really tell what it was but it surely was human. An unknown, black-shaped human who only watched him fall and not help. Robin shook his head to get rid of the thought. _'It was a dream! Only a dream!'_

Robin pulled the covers over him for protection. Nothing was wrong, it had been a dream, and now he was safe and sound in his own room, in his own bed. He curled up in the fetal position, staying like that for a long time until he had fully relaxed and became calm. The chills remained because of the cold. He pulled the cover more tightly against himself. Darkness surrounded him. Robin took a deep breath.

'_Odd, these don't smell like my covers,'_ Robin thought as the musky, foreign smell filled his nostrils.

In fact, now that he thought about it, his room had a window and there was always at least a little dim ray of light from the moon or sun, depending on the time of day. But this room didn't have windows. Robin cracked open the covers and looked around the place. He definitely wasn't in his room. This room was dark, pitch black, to be sure. The bed he was in was merely a mattress sitting just a foot off the floor. The room was small and was made out of metal walls. There wasn't much furniture from what Robin could see. There was a panel that jutted out of the wall, which he assumed was a table. Beside it was a metal box, which was screwed to the floor; most likely meant to be a chair. They were in the far corner from his bed. Or his mattress he should say. His actual bed was on a stand about half a meter from the floor, which was made out of concrete. Other than that, the room was pretty much empty.

Looking up, Robin saw a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling. He couldn't see a switch anywhere. Not liking the fact that he didn't know where he was, Robin pulled the covers around himself tighter to give himself a small sense of security. With a silent sigh, he moved one leg off the bed. He quickly pulled it back up the second it touched the floor. The room was very, very cold.

Pulling himself together, Robin placed both feet to the cold floor. The air was also cold. The only thing he was wearing was foreign, black, slightly-too-big-for-him boxers and a massive black T-shirt. It was big enough to cover his ass and the boxers reached to his knees. Even with that much protective covering, the room still felt cold and distant. Robin quickly moved his hands up to his forehead to feel if his mask was still on his face. It was still over his eyes, much to his relief.

Standing in the middle of the room, Robin noticed that it was completely quiet. The only noise was coming from his feet while he switched from one leg to the other. Another thing he noticed was that the room smelled like…nothing. It wasn't even that big, he noted. Maybe two-by-two meters long. It wasn't that high either. He started to turn around in that small space, observing it for anything else he may have missed. It really was very empty.

_'And where's the damn door?'_

Robin suddenly developed Claustrophobia. He practically hopped around in place, looking for anything, _anything_ that could be an exit. The darkness was the only thing to blame. Panicking, he jumped towards the nearest wall and started running and thumping his hands over the cold surface, desperately searching for any kind of switch, door handle, loose panel, trap door, or one sided mirror. He was now running around the room, slapping the walls and trying to find something that sounded at least slightly different. All he heard was the soft _thump-thump-thump_ echoing loudly around the room from his hands and feet.

'_This must be how a lab rat feels when stuck in a cage,'_ Robin thought bitterly. No new sounds came yet. He was starting to get frustrated. _'Out, out, out!'_ the temper-tantrum voice screamed in his mind. _'If I was able to get in, then I must be able to get out!' _He was now halfway around the room when he heard a heavier and deeper sounding _tong_. While in his state of panic and rush, he didn't even notice it at first. Robin's brain took a moment to send him this information. _'There!'_

Taking a few steps back—after regaining some of his breath—Robin took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He hadn't even realized that he had started to hyperventilate. For two minutes he tried to control his breathing. When he was sure he could continue, he lifted his arm and curled his hand into a tight fist. He started to knock on the wall, hearing for anything abnormal. The next several knocks sounded exactly the same and he was afraid that he had lost the spot again. After a few more, louder knocks, he heard it: a deep, echoing clang. With a big sigh of relief, Robin looked closer to examine the wall more carefully.

This part of the wall was a slight brown color and it smelled like rust. And it was a door. There wasn't a door knob or anything, but it was definitely a door. By the sound of it, Robin could tell that it was at least an inch thick, like a security door. With a loud sigh, he turned around and saw that the door was positioned right next to his bed. This was where he was then. He tried to calm down. When he tried to let out a reassuring sigh, Robin started to cough violently. It made his throat hurt and he felt like he would either run out of breath or vomit, which ever came first. He bent over slightly, covering his mouth with one hand and his stomach with the other. Once the coughing fit finally eased down, he started to feel feverish and weak again. He soon regretted running around and panicking.

Holding his head with his left hand, Robin placed the other on the wall for support. He eased his way towards his bed, sliding his hand along the wall while dragging his feet. Halfway there, his pointer and middle finger slipped inside the wall. Once realizing it was a hole, he stopped immediately. Robin traced it several times and gathered that it was about ten to fifteen centimeters wide and about three or four centimeters long. It wasn't a big hole, maybe two centimeters deep. Now that he found it, he already started to wonder what it was for.

Robin tried to pull and move the hole a little, but nothing happened. He tried putting a little more force into it, but when nothing happened, he decided to look at it after another rest. While moving his hand away, he heard a slight hauling sound as a large panel moved away from the wall. Stopping, he looked back and noticed that he was actually standing in front of an open door that had slid open. It wasn't big, only about half a meter wide and only slightly taller than Robin. Where it led was a complete mystery. The room behind the door was, if possible, darker than the room where Robin was. Not to mention he couldn't see anything beyond.

Deciding to be bold, Robin stuck his hand into the room. As expected, nothing happened. He felt like hitting himself in the forehead for even considering something horrible would befall him just by sticking his hand through. Getting a more secure footing, he slid his hand along the surface of the walls within. They felt much smoother as though made of a different material. They too were cold. Maybe they were made out of tiles?

Robin decided to step into that foreign room. To his surprise and disbelief, there was no floor to step on. With a yelp, he fell in. It was a huge, scary fall. When his legs finally landed on a tiled surface, Robin twisted his ankle. Unable to put pressure on it, he fell flat on his face. Groaning, he reached up to grab a hold of something. His hands flailed around for anything. Hitting something hard, Robin pulled back slightly and then grabbed whatever it was he had hit, as though his life depended on it. Unfortunately, whatever it was he grabbed was rolling under his touch. He slipped and fell painfully onto his side.

Suddenly, freezing cold liquid started to pour on Robin from all directions. He started to panic again, crawling and scrambling backwards as fast as he could. His clothes were getting drenched and were soon sticking to his skin. Even the blanket clung to his body, slowing him down. He was even becoming queasy again. Robin tried to escape the room, thinking the liquid was some kind of acid. Rolling onto his back, he pushed himself up as quickly as possible and headed back the way he came. He slipped and fell forward when he tried to dash out. Robin's knees banged painfully into the threshold, which was ten centimeters high, and he scrambled in until he was in the middle of the room, breathing heavily against the floor. A deep, throaty chuckle echoed around the room suddenly and a dim light was switched on.

"Ever hear of a shower, Robin?"

Looking up from his lying position, Robin saw Slade standing a few feet away. His mouth was hanging wide open, like a fish on dry land.

'_Shower?'_

Robin couldn't say anything due to his distress. He was still too shocked to even move. Once his brain registered what had happened, he shook his head and then swallowed hard.

"Bastard," Robin managed under his breath. He tried to position himself to look a little more presentable and not so miserable.

"Now, now, little Robin, it isn't nice to say such harsh words to your _savior_," Slade said mockingly.

"You are no savior of mine," Robin snorted, words coming out groggily from his mouth. "Where am I and why am I here?"

As Robin got into an upright position, the covers around his shoulders fell to the floor with a heavy splat. A puddle had been forming beneath his feet, the covers dripping wet. The clothes Robin wore were completely wet and they stuck to him. He tried to wipe most of the water away without success. Slade watched Robin's miserable attempt to get his clothes dry with a smirk under his mask. The wet clothes gave quite a good view of his small, lithe body.

"You are at one of my hideouts. As for your location…well, that information will be enough for now."

Slade watched as Robin shivered from being cold. His bottom lip was turning slightly blue. He was stomping from one foot to the other and his arms were wrapped around him now. Robin didn't want to get into the bed, not wanting it to get wet too.

"Wh-Where are my clothes?" Robin managed to ask while his teeth chattered.

"I threw them away; they were dirty," Slade replied. "I already borrowed some new clothes for you, but you seem to have gotten them wet already." There was mocking amusement in the man's voice. Robin just glared at Slade, who glared right back. "Go turn off the water before it all goes to waste."

Slade turned on his heel and left, shutting the door behind him with a loud clang. Robin stood still on the spot, glaring at the door.

'_Like it was really the door's fault,'_ he thought, ending his glare after a sneeze.

The chills went from his neck to down to his ankles. He decided to go turn the water off anyway despite everything that had happened so far. If it was up to Slade, he would probably punish him for wasting water. It really was up to him, Robin knew all too well. Turning around, he turned to the shower and stepped up to the threshold. He tried to look for the tap, but couldn't really see anything in the dark room, seeing as the dim light didn't reach—was just a small light above the door. With a loud and heavy sigh, Robin decided to go in and look for it. He was already wet so why not?

Being slow this time, Robin stepped down and found his footing. Stepping in, he ran his hands along the wall as he looked for the knob. It was on the right wall, not too far from the shower doors. He quickly turned the water off. Almost at the same time, Slade came back into his room. Some light came into the little shower too; probably light from what lay beyond the main door out of there. Robin could now see that there was also a toilet, a small sink, and a rather small mirror above it, in the same little shower. Other than that there was nothing else.

Taking wet steps, Robin stepped up out of the shower, watery footprints getting left behind. He saw a black and white bundle in Slade's right hand.

"Here is a change of clothes," he said, handing the bundle to Robin, who took it. "Try not to get these wet too." Unfurling the bundle, Robin saw that they were black boxers and a white T-shirt with a long collar. "I will provide you with new clothes if you happen to need some."

Almost exactly that second, Robin interrupted asking, "Why am I here and how long have I been here?"

Slade stared him in silence momentarily. "You have been out cold for a day. You would wake up suddenly and then drift back to sleep every few hours. You were in really bad shape when I picked you up from the forest where you fainted. You should be grateful that I picked you up at all. No doubt your corpse would have rotted there if I hadn't." Slade paused. He had sounded very cold towards Robin, who just stared at him. "Change before you get cold and sick again."

Robin glared at him. "Not when you are here," he said coldly. "Besides, I'll be taking my leave now."

Robin tried to pass him, but Slade grabbed both wrists in one large hand, grasping tight.

"No, you won't." Cringing, Robin tried to get away from his painful grip, but the villain kept him close. "Finders keepers, Robin," Slade whispered into his ear with a devilish grin, which Robin couldn't see because of the mask.

"I will escape," Robin said through the pain while he tried to pull his hands back with no success.

"I know you will, which is why I have made some simple rules for you to follow," Slade said with a dangerous voice.

"I have had enough of your idiotic rules!" Robin yelled, trying to push the man away with his other leg now. Slade, of course, was like an unmovable object.

"Wait until you hear them, my little bird," Slade said into his ear. He quickly forced Robin around, his arms wrenched behind his back. He then forced him to his knees so that he couldn't fight back. "First, you will do as I say and you will not attempt to escape. Second, you will do some small assignments that I will give to you later. Third, you will eat, train, and stay here with no arguments. Also, everything you'll need will be provided by me. More rules may be set, but these are the most important ones. Disobeying the rules will result in punishment." Slade leaned closer to Robin's ear to add in a whisper, "I'll give you a week. After that, you are free to go."

Robin stopped trying to pull his arms away. _'Free to go? Are you just playing around with me, Slade? Will you really just let me go after one week? Should I trust you on this? Do I really have a choice?'_

"And who knows, maybe you'll change your mind and decide to stay," Slade added with a grin as he let him go. Robin fell forward, holding his body up with his hands. The villain turned around. "I will see you in the morning."

With that said, Slade left Robin to lie on the floor, mulling those words over and over in his head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Take Your Medicine, Chapter 3 (Edited by SladinForever)**

After lying on the floor for five to ten minutes, Robin finally decided to get into bed. His clothes really started to feel uncomfortable. They were really cold and he shivered every once in a while. His fingers had gone completely numb and his teeth were chattering. Slowly pushing himself up with shaking limbs, Robin reached for the clothes that he had dropped when Slade pushed him away. With shaking hands and numb fingers, he removed his wet clothes and then tried to get the others on. His first mistake was putting the shirt on backwards; it rubbed against him uncomfortably when he tried turning it around.

Once finished changing, Robin looked at the still wet blanket, really wishing it was dry. With a sigh, he spread the covers on the floor in hopes that it would dry faster. So far his mind had turned on autopilot. The only thing that was on his mind was to get warm, get sleep, and wonder, "what's the catch; why would Slade let him go; why did he even want him in the first place?" Robin sat on his bed, hugging his knees to his chest, preventing his lose of body heat. Then he began to wonder: why would Slade _want_ to let him go? Robin had always thought that when Slade finally caught him, he would just simply lock him up and never let go. And what was up with that one week deal? What was the man thinking of achieving in just seven days? What could Slade do to him in that set time? What was he really after? And how come he was so sure of accomplishing whatever it was he wanted? Could one week really be enough?

Robin was entirely confused about Slade's new plan. He seemed to be missing the point. His stubborn mind didn't even want to know the answer to some of those simple things, like the one where Slade really would just let him go. All sensible logic was fighting against this scenario. Would the villain really just let him walk away? Would he just stand by and watch while he walked away from his hideout and never return?

All these crazy, mixed thoughts were starting to hurt Robin's brain. The only thing he wanted to do was sleep; an eternal slumber. He didn't want to be bothered by them. He closed his eyes…

_'There has to be a catch.'_ Robin knew Slade was planning something. There really had to be some kind of hidden plan beneath the big one; he just couldn't see it. _'Maybe you can't see it because there isn't one.'_ Robin shivered mentally at the thought. He shook his head in denial. _'There was always a catch.'_

Finally giving up on his damn thoughts, Robin fell into bed, resting his head on the soft pillow. Skipping the assumed information, he started thinking about the facts. Robin had to stay for one week. What should he do during that time? Should he at least try to act civil and not annoy Slade? Then maybe, just maybe, the time would go faster and he could go home without additional bruises? Or should he try to seek out Slade's hidden plans in secret, try to contact his friends, and ask them to save him? Was one week really that much of a task? And, once it was over, would he act like it never happened?

Speaking of which, would Robin's friends even notice he was away? Of course they would; on their time anyway. What time was it? Had his one week already started? And where _was_ Slade? All these questions were firing at him from all possible directions. Robin just couldn't keep his mind concentrated long enough to really come up with a plan.

Robin sneezed again. He decided that he didn't want to stay in that poor little excuse of a room any longer. He was cold, sick, and frustrated. Getting off the bed, he stood up straight. His stomach growled in its own frustration. He really was hungry; starving was more like it. When was the last time he ate? He _had_ been out completely for a day, like Slade said. He hadn't really eaten at Titans Tower either; he kept vomiting at the smallest intake of food.

Walking to the door, which Slade had taken his exit, Robin knocked, seeing as there was no form of handle. He was certain it couldn't be opened from the inside. It echoed around the walls of his semi-bare room. Robin soon found himself waiting for an answer. He switched feet.

_'What are you waiting for; someone to knock back?'_ Well, it was a stupid plan to begin with. Robin stepped backwards to look at the door. _'I wonder if anyone heard that.' _

One, where was Slade staying in his hideout? Were there any Slade-bots guarding the place? How big was it? So far Robin had only seen this room. And who knew besides Slade how big the hideout was? Maybe it was as big as Jump City itself, built underneath the sewer system. Or it was a small warehouse with only the more important rooms; training room, kitchen, and approximately two bedrooms. It felt really disturbing not knowing anything. Robin had a bunch of questions with no answers. He was about to start hitting the door, demanding some answers, when it opened. Slade stepped in the room, filling the place with his presence. When he spoke, it was full of slow, controlled seriousness.

"Evening, Robin. It's still terribly late at night. What do you want?"

"I-I want-" Robin's words were sticking to his mouth since he couldn't come up with anything to say. He would have wanted to ask about everything, but at the same time he didn't dare say a word. He shivered when the cold air coming from outside his room entered. He just stood there for a moment until his stomach decided to ask on its own. "Food! I want food."

Robin hated himself for the lack of confidence. Why couldn't he just look up with his head held up high and be more secure about himself?

"Mmh, as I said, everything you'll need while you stay here will be provided by me. All you have to do is ask."

Slade stepped away from the door. Robin snorted at his words.

"It was just a test then?"

"In a way," Slade admitted, leading Robin through dimly lit hallways. "There is one thing I seek from my apprentice and that is trust. I don't require acceptance or agreement of my opinions, just trust that what I'm doing is for the best. There is no need to worry over petty things. And congratulations, you passed."

Robin only nodded. He could see the logic in that. There was no reason to have an untrustworthy apprentice or minion. That was one thing most villains lacked; the same thing that caused their downfall.

_'So Slade is once again caught up on the apprentice deal.'_

They walked in silence. Robin couldn't help himself, so he yawned while trying to stretch out his sore muscles. In the end, he hadn't been awake very long. The only big thing that made him tired was the outburst he had a while ago. Robin would have wanted to ask Slade a lot of things, but he couldn't bring himself to say the right words. Luckily he didn't even have to because they had finally reached a kitchen that had a giant refrigerator in the corner.

"Bread should ease your hunger. Of course, late night snacks aren't really the best idea," Slade said, opening a cupboard and taking out some bread.

After setting the loaf down on the table, Slade stood in the center of the room. Robin stared briefly at it, not really sure. When Slade gestured with his hand in a "help yourself" sort of way, Robin stepped up to the table and took off the clip. He really was hungry, which his stomach was more than happy to point out. Taking out two slices, he took a bite, yawned, and repeated. He was very tired and his eyes kept drooping. Slade just stood in the corner of the room, watching Robin with emotionless eyes as he began to eat.

"You really should go to sleep after this. You'll have to be well and healthy when your trial starts," Slade said as he noted the teen's struggling to keep himself awake.

Robin paused and just shook his head, remembering the wet covers he didn't want to go back to. With a sleepy voice, he asked, "What time is it anyway? And what do you mean, when my trial starts?" He took another bite.

"It's about two or three in the morning," Slade replied. "Your week trial won't start until you've awakened again."

Once done eating, the villain led Robin back to his quarters in silence. He was too tired to ask Slade his questions. Once they arrived—standing in front of the door to his room—he froze in his tracks. When he saw the inside of the cold, lonely room with wet covers still lying messily on the floor, he decided that he really didn't want to go back in there.

"My covers are all wet and it's cold," Robin said reluctantly, unwilling to step inside.

"Well, it was your fault and this place was not designed to be a hotel," Slade said. "I have no spare covers to give you. I honestly didn't think you would get yours wet." Robin turned to look at him with a slight hint of worry in his eyes. "But seeing as you're sick, maybe you should sleep in my bed." Robin shook his head at this option too. He took a step toward his bedroom, not wanting to share a room with Slade, let alone a bed. "Don't worry, I won't be sleeping on it. I have some things I must take care of."

Slade started for his own quarters, walking at an even pace in case Robin decided to catch up. He looked at his room and then Slade's back that was retreating. He had two options: go into that dark room with wet sheets where he might not be able to sleep due to the cold or go with Slade where he was at his mercy and in his own territory. Besides, who knew what would happen in there. Robin was suddenly curious. What would Slade's bed chambers look like? Where was it located in case he needed to return after coming up with a plan to back stab him in his sleep?

Robin had to make his decision fast or else he'd lose sight of Slade. He really was tired and desperately needed the rest. Maybe this was a test too; a test of _trust._ In the end, if Robin really wanted this week to go by fast, he would need to start acting more civil and try to bear with Slade. He shot one, last, quick glance at his pathetic room before finally picking between his two options. After slamming the door, Robin ran after Slade to catch up.

"So you decided to come after all," he said, not looking at him.

Robin just nodded. Slade's room wasn't too far from his own. It couldn't be opened by anyone but him. So the idea of backstabbing the villain in his sleep was out of the question. When they finally stepped in, Robin saw that the room wasn't so glorious as he first thought. Slade seemed to be a man of simple tastes. The room was a lot bigger than Robin's though. It had a king-sized bed and a big table full of neatly arranged documents, files, and other seemingly important stuff. There was also a comfy looking chair, computer, closet, some monitors on the walls, and, one of the most surprising things, a coffee maker placed near his work table. There was also a door that led to a separate room; maybe to a toilet and shower.

Slade made his way to the chair. He sat down and started to work on the documents he had on the table. He also reached for a mug of coffee that had been there; probably left it when he checked on Robin.

"You can make yourself comfortable and go to sleep," Slade said as he kept his attention on the papers.

The villain knew full well that Robin had not taken one step towards the bed, probably waiting for an approval of some kind. He looked at the bed temptingly. It had black covers and white pillows and looked really comfortable and soft. He glanced at Slade one more time. Once assured that the man was indeed working and didn't care if he went to sleep, he got under the covers and was glad that they were indeed the softest and smoothest he had felt in ages.

Once exhaustion took over his sick head, Robin didn't care if the bed smelled like Slade, and he fell asleep in seconds.


	4. Chapter 4

Another thousand thanks to my beta SladinForever for correcting my mistakes and pointing out my flaws, I really appreciate that. And also, a big hug and cookies for those who have commented so far! I really love all my reviews!

But now, on with the story!

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**Take Your Medicine, Chapter 4 (Edited by SladinForever)**

Slade sat in his chair, looking at the screen in front of him with a glazed look. He sat with his back straight, leaning his chin vigorously on his left hand knuckles, while at the same time, skillfully playing with a normal ballpoint pen that had been lying on his desk. With fast motions, he rolled it around his fingers like a miniature bo staff. The movements of his fingers and wrist were elaborate and controlled even if he didn't pay any attention to his actions. This was one of those things that he had to master to be really good at it: a sleight of hand and the ability to keep control at any given moment. He had found out that playing with his pen was really soothing to his nerves as he directed his frustration to some outlet, rather than piling it up.

If to be really honest, Slade didn't know if the night before was a failure or a success. In a way, he was really mad at himself. How could he have fallen into an obvious trap like that! But on the other hand, he was genially amused. Someone out there had decided to get him and get him for good. Who they were, Slade didn't know. He didn't even know their motives for crying out loud.

Slade calmly set the pen back on the table, folded his fingers together, and placed them under his chin. He started to sort out the events of the night he picked Robin up. All of the resources were clear and safe, and just for their sake, trustworthy. The original plan was to just break into a science research lab that was currently working on this new prototype of an immunity-seizing virus. It could be easily modified to either destroy the whole immune system or to strengthen and protect its host. It would make the host practically immortal, making it completely safe from any possible disease they might be suffering from. As for saving the virus, the only requirement was that it couldn't touch anything organic. So it was kept in a glass vile, hidden behind nearly impossible to hack security doors and kept inside an indestructible safe that only authorized personal could open. The virus could be a great weapon, a salvation, a cure to heal fatal diseases, or something that could make sure you die slow and painfully at your own weakness.

At this point, Slade smiled, practically _grinned_ behind his mask. This was something he considered as a slight lead. Now he could at least be sure that he was rubbing elbows with professionals. Something that would need planning—at least nearly as much as this—couldn't be done by a simple protagonist. They would like to have someone of Slade's stature out-of-the-way; the sooner the better. The scheme would need months of preparing; all the materials, expenses, even outsiders had to believe that they were actually working for a super virus. Even the slightest bit of information of the mission could not leak out from the inner circle. Everything needed to look realistic. Even the government would need to fall into that trap to make them even more believable. So no wonder Slade made a mistake.

That wasn't the thing that angered him most though. No, he was mad for getting _caught_. They had noticed him coming in the very second he lay foot on the soil of that old farm. It had been a perfect setup for the scene; not too far from the city, but far enough away from curious trespassers. And of course, if they were going to make a virus, they'd need some guinea pigs to test it on. But, anyway, the whole task had gone to waste when he noticed there was no virus to begin with and that he was surrounded by enemy units. But, now, Slade considered it as luck, even if he didn't believe in such a thing—or fate for that matter. He had been able to set the alarms off. This resulted in the Titans noticing and coming in to take care of the situation. That's what seemingly caused the mysterious man to flee the scene, leaving him as a guilty kid that had been caught red-handed.

Anyway, Slade would need to keep a low profile for at least a week to get to know his new adversary. And, as if being ordered, Robin, the Boy Wonder, just _appeared _at the scene. He was like a silver blade, ready to be taken. No one could refuse a gift like that. And because he would have to keep a low profile, it would just be a chance of tactic: try to get in that thick head of the Boy Wonder. It would certainly be fun as long as it would last, seeing what made Robin tick.

Once again, Slade was interrupted from his thoughts by a frantic rustle of bed sheets and somewhat loud groans from his younger companion. In his short time of observing him, he had already found out, in his current state, that Robin was not one to sleep in peace. Every once in a while, he kept tossing and turning in his sleep, mumbling some words under his breath. If that wasn't enough, he sometimes drifted in and out of sleep before his brain even registered he had awakened, and then fell back in his slumber. Sometimes, Slade was even caught by surprise when he would suddenly jolt up, sitting straight and panting hard, and, even more surprisingly, still asleep. This didn't last long because he usually fell back and rested more peacefully for a little while before tossing and turning again.

Slade actually found this highly amusing. Normally, Robin slept rather peacefully. Hell, he never even snored—that was a relief all in its own. And it was odd to see a young boy figure sleeping in his bed. Slade himself rarely slept, if at all even. There was always something keeping him awake. Either he was too busy or had something he would prefer to do instead. His body didn't mind the lack of sleep at all.

Once again, Slade turned back to work on his computer, but hearing the presence was distracting him rather effectively. He wasn't used to having a companion in his personal quarters. The reason for this was really simple: he never had company. Slade's "army" consisted of robots only. If he happened to have an ally, or partner, he usually didn't even show them his headquarters. If he did, there were only a few places he would show them. His room was not one of them. But with Robin, he would make an exception. This was mainly because of his plan of gaining the boy's trust. Hiding the obvious wasn't helping the matter. If he was ever going to have Robin as his apprentice, he would find out sooner or later anyway. So why even bother hiding it?

Once again, Slade tried to concentrate on his work to find out more about his adversary. Unfortunately, the only thing he found out so far was that they had done an excellent job at hiding their motives and that they really were working in secret. So far, he had not been able to find a single bit of information or slightest hint of their doing. These people had successfully stayed fully anonymous. Congratulations on that.

With a sigh, Slade was ready to rest the case for a while. He had been trying to seek out information since his return to headquarters. Still with no luck, he was starting to think at this point, it would be rather unlikely to find anything. Maybe they would do something noticeable in the near future. Casually, Slade turned his chair around, taking a new course of work. He was slightly glad to find that Robin had ended up sleeping rather serenely for now. The best part was not having to deal with him glaring or attacking him at every given opportunity. The downside? Well, during moments like this, Slade really wished he, too, could sleep.

Robin suddenly jolted up once again, feeling out of breath. He felt like he hadn't rested at all, like he was just tossing and turning in his sleep the whole time. He could even recall having a nightmare, but he couldn't remember anything particular about it. Sitting in the middle of the bed, the sheets entangled him. He was breathless and hot, like he had slept in an oven. It made him feel nauseous. His mouth felt and tasted like he would start vomiting soon.

"Look who is awake. Didn't seem to sleep too well, though, did you?"

Robin tried to swallow his nausea and look at that contemptibly familiar voice in the corner of the room. It seemed that the bastard had been watching him sleep that whole time.

"That's none of your business," he said with a hoarse voice that he wished would've sounded at least a little bit more concerning so Slade would get the hint and leave him the hell alone. Sadly, to Robin's dismay, he sounded like he had swallowed a handful of pebbles.

"Seeing as you are here as my _guest_, I assure you it is of my concern," Slade said, adding pressure to guest, making it sound like he was there to stay until the one week was over. Robin was once again ready to lash out at him with a verbal objection.

_'It's none of your fucking business.'_

Robin wanted to say that out loud, but the feeling of nausea was coming back and his gag reflex was starting to give him a clear sign that he was going to vomit soon. His hands quickly shot up to his mouth, trying to keep it in. He jumped off and, as soon as his feet hit solid floor, he almost doubled over and vomited up his nightly snack. Luckily, his semi-strong will helped him keep it all in.

With wide eyes, Robin looked at Slade, who looked back at him with a neutral look. The only gesture he got was of him pointing to a door on his left side. With a quick burst of speed, Robin pulled it open, saw that it was similar to the bathroom door in his quarters, and, with a loud cough, vomited up everything he had in him into the toilet opposite the door. Slade sighed knowingly, seeing as he expected this coming ever since that late night snack. Getting up, he went to see if Robin was okay at the toilet, hearing that his gagging had eased down a bit.

Robin sat on his knees, hugging the toilet. He was a little out of breath. Slade calmly walked to his side and rubbed soothing circles on his back. He noticed that he wasn't entirely able to reach the toilet before giving into his urge to puke. He momentarily ignored the fact that Robin had a small fever and had messed up the entire toilet in less than two seconds. As he flushed the toilet, he grimaced at the smell while handing him a handful of toilet paper that he snatched from the bar beside the door, which wasn't far from the sink and a mirror. Robin took the wad gratefully, wishing he was someone who didn't vomit so messily.

Vomiting was one of those experiences he truly hated. His entire chin was coated in vomit and, somehow, was somehow able to get some on his nose. He wiped his entire face and then threw the paper straight into the toilet, sneezing afterward. A trail of snot had attached itself to both ends, almost making him want to vomit all over again. It was really disgusting. He had little pieces of food not yet completely digested in his mouth. Slade was still stroking small, soothing circles against his back.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Barely…" Robin mumbled, rising to his feet and feeling slightly off.

He walked back to the bed, slumping back onto the mattress while covering his head with his hands to ease his nausea a little. For a long time he just lay there silently, listening to Slade at the toilet. He was probably cleaning up after him. Judging by the clinking of bottles, Robin assumed he was rummaging through the small cabinet above the sink. His assumptions came true the moment Slade appeared before him, holding a clear bottle filled with what looked like murky, wet clay.

"For now, I suggest you drink this broth. It's the only thing I have at hand to ease your stomach." Robin took the bottle from him. "Unless, of course, you want me to hold your hair back while you continue to vomit," Slade said casually, adding a bit of a mocking tone at the end of the sentence.

_'Yeah, yeah, whatever.'_

Robin didn't feel like starting a fight with him. He waved his hand at Slade dismissively, not even looking at him as he pushed himself up again. He drank everything down without a fight, happily drinking it fast. The liquid tasted bitter and like sand. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have even tried to drink the stuff if he looked at what was in it first. Robin was now gagging and grimacing at the foul taste. Sitting back in his work corner, Slade was laughing at him.

"This better not be a trick…" Robin mumbled angrily, still gagging.

Robin's eyes were tearing up as he winced from the feeling in his stomach. The stuff he drank was stubbornly staying in there. In some weird way, he was glad it did.

"No trick. This is my own self-made broth to heal all flu-type viruses or infections that everyone catches from time to time," Slade said reassuringly, putting the container in the trash. "But don't worry, it works. I have even noted that it works a lot better than those antibiotics they give you at hospitals. The only downside is the taste."

_'Hm, since when did Slade start making his own medicines? When had he learned to do such a thing anyway?'_ Robin thought before pushing those thoughts aside, sort of worried that Slade would poison him.

"I tend to have a little too much free time," Slade said, slightly snickering at Robin, reading his thoughts as though his head was an open book. _'Damn insomnia,' _he thought.

With a snort, Robin tried going back to sleep. He didn't really care that much about Slade's company, seeing as he didn't really want to talk at the moment. He was still tired, but he just couldn't get any sleep. He couldn't do much but sigh as he found himself only tossing and turning, unable to go back to sleep.

"What time is it anyway?" he asked groggily.

"Six in the morning," Slade said as he glanced at the clock on his table. "I suggest you rest. You have to overcome that illness of yours."

Robin just gritted his teeth as Slade pointed out the obvious, somehow annoying him to no end. He hated when people did that.

"So what have you planned for this upcoming week?"

That caught Slade off guard. He hadn't even thought of that yet. "Well, I have to keep a low profile for some time, which suits me just fine," he said, starting to get an idea. Now that Robin was here, he could make him do all the dirty work for him. "I haven't gone over any specifics, but I'll need to find out some more information about an organization I have just recently discovered. I may need you to run some small errands. I also plan to have some small training sessions after you get better."

Slade said all of this, sounding like he knew a lot without letting anything big loose. He would only give out minimal information, making Robin think that there was something more.

_'Good, now he won't think of me as a complete idiot without a plan.'_

"So, is there anything you want? Something to drink perhaps?" Slade asked, seeing that Robin wouldn't fall asleep too quickly. "Water; soda; alcohol?"

Robin hummed, not really wanting anything. But the thought of something to drink was really tempting. He wanted to get rid of the horrible taste in his mouth. Not to mention he wanted to have at least something in his empty stomach, something _better_ than the horrible medicine. With an airy snort, he crossed out alcohol; he wasn't an adult, that was for sure. Water and lemonade were both tempting. Robin had even heard that soda was good after vomiting. Whenever his friends got sick, they always requested soda.

"Soda is fine," Robin replied.

Slade left the room to fetch it. Robin's thoughts had started to wander on their own, not really thinking about anything in specific. Nothing meaningful anyway.

'_Wonder what kind of soda Slade has…' _Robin found himself thinking after two minutes. He really didn't want anything that special. In fact, he despised the idea of Sprite or 7-Up. _'7-Up is good when you're sick, but it's too sweet and full of sugar.'_ He could have some Fanta, but that wasn't really what he wanted either. _'Nothing orange or fruity, that's for sure.' _Wanting to stay on the norm and just drink the only soda he liked, he wished he had Coca Cola. _'Oh please, let it be Coke!_ _And darn __him if he brings Pepsi, I refuse to drink that, it tastes like-' _Slade came in right then. Robin bolted up to see what he brought. _'Please, let it be Coke!'_

"I don't really know what kind of soda you like so I brought you the nearest bottle available," Slade said as he filled two cups and left the bottle on his work table. He approached Robin, one cup in hand. "It's my favorite, so I'll have a cup too."

Robin accepted his share eagerly and happily noted, _"Great minds think a like: Coke!"_

Slade walked back to his chair, holding his cup in his hands as he watched Robin chug his down. He slowed down after two gulps. He tried to hide his burp, being taught since childhood that it was rude and somewhat embarrassing. Robin looked at Slade then, seeing that he was observing him the whole time, making him feel a little bit nervous. He tried his best to ignore it.

"So, how are you going to drink with your mask on anyway?" Robin asked, taking a small sip.

"Simple: I take it off."

Robin choked from surprise. He was now coughing uncontrollably. "Y-You just t-take it off? After all this?" Robin managed under his breath.

"Well of course not," Slade said knowingly, making Robin feel like an idiot. "I'll wait until you aren't looking."

'_Of course he'll keep the mask on_…_'_ Robin really felt like a complete airhead. It was like asking if he could go fly around the world on a magical, flying carpet. _'Do I even want to know?'_

The thought _just_ crossed his mind. Robin realized he didn't really want to know actually. Of course he was curious. Was Slade so ugly that he decided to hide is face? Well that probably wasn't it. It was only there to hide his identity; to have the advantage of anonymity; to hide his true emotions and stuff; to add mystery. Slade was a logical person. Then how come a metal mask? That thing was probably pushing against his nose all the time, his face pressed between it. Really, if you thought about it, there wasn't much space for his nose in there. Was it even easy to breathe with it on? Maybe it was made of metal for a reason. It would be more durable, cooler, and help strengthen his nerves. If Robin had to wear it, he'd probably get claustrophobic; start suffering from the lack of oxygen; start hyperventilating; faint. Well, maybe since Slade was used to wearing it, if he did get exhausted, he probably wouldn't panic, even if the air suddenly escaped the room.

Wow, Robin really hadn't thought of that before…

'_He probably has nerves of steel.'_

After that last thought, Robin drank the rest of his soda in silence, not really wanting to say a word. In the end, Slade wasn't that bad to hang around with. He had his some good points and some bad points, just like everyone did. Once the cup was empty, Robin placed it on the nightstand before making his position more comfortable. He yawned loudly as he noticed the sleepiness had already started making its way back to him. His mind started to once again wander and he let it. Strangely, the smell of Slade's bed sheets was somewhat relaxing. It didn't take Robin long to fall asleep once again.


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is twice as longer than usual, but THIS is what you'll love the most. Because I love you so much, I once again decided to make some use of my crocheting skills

**I HAVE CROCHETED YOU SLADE, ROBIN AND RED X DOLLS! **Please see these links; just replace the commas with periods:

**Slade:** lollingdreamer,livejournal,com/15829,html

**Robin:** lollingdreamer,livejournal,com/20780,html

**Red X:** lollingdreamer,livejournal,com/21019,html

Please enjoy the dolls and the chapter! Tell me what you think about them both ;)

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**Take Your Medicine, Chapter 5 (Edited by SladinForever)**

When Robin woke up around eleven, he felt relatively good. His mind had rested and he didn't feel so jumpy like in his own room yesterday.

_'More like a cell.'_

With a yawn, he lifted himself up in bed and felt a wave of dizziness pass him. Ignoring it, he swung his legs over and rubbed his sore eyes. Even his head felt better. It wasn't all foggy and sore, even if all of his brain activity took its own time; he blamed this on morning stiffness. Robin slowly rose to his feet, placing them on the cold floor. He shifted between each foot for a couple of seconds before he got used to the coldness of it. Apparently, Slade didn't seem to care about floor heating.

As soon as his feet got used to the cold, he started to do some stretches until his back cracked and his muscles loosened. When he was finally done with his usual morning ritual, he walked to the bathroom and first looked at his reflection in the mirror. His skin was a tad too pale, he had obvious morning hair, and his eyes were probably blood shot and swollen. Robin didn't dare take his mask off in fear of not getting it back on. So, with a sigh, he splashed some cold water on his face before looking for any useful hair care products.

Pulling the mirror open, Robin scanned the meager selection: men's shower gel, one suspicious bottle of shampoo, since it was the only thing written on it, and a bottle of shaving cream. Robin got the feeling that Slade had written on the shampoo bottle himself, even if that was clearly not the case. Looking at the other bottle now, Robin mused, 'could one do his hair with shaving cream'? Not daring to take the risk of Slade laughing straight at his face if he smelled liked the stinging odor of the foam, he decided to do the simple, but somewhat useless measure anyway: try to make his hair stay in place with plain water. With a sigh, he started to do his hair. What was he even thinking? Of course Slade would need no hairspray. No one knew if he even _had_ hair. And even if he did, it would be flat against that stupid mask anyway.

Once he had made his hair at least a little bit more bearable, Robin returned the bedroom. It all looked so constrained; metallic gray furniture, or lack thereof: gray chair with a gray table, a gray computer, and surprise, a gray monitor. Even the walls were gray. Only thing that brought the room some change in color was the black covers and white pillows. So either Slade was color blind or he cherished simple and dull décor.

Robin let his eyes wander around the room for a while longer while he memorized every little detail. Slowly making his way to the desk, he looked around carefully, making sure Slade made at least some careless mistake to make this a little easier on him. The table had been cleaned with extra care. All the cupboards were locked, the computer was shut down with a password, and even the folders, just for them, seemed to be locked behind a little transparent safe. Robin wouldn't be the least surprised if the coffee cup was chained to the table. Something else managed to catch his eye. There was one piece of paper sticking out from the safe. Robin carefully pulled it away, not daring to risk ripping it. The paper was small, probably an A5 paper that had been folded once to the size A6. He opened it carefully, never noticing that he had tensed his shoulders until they fell down heavily. He read the note to himself.

_Good afternoon Robin  
As much as I wish for you to get well and going,  
I do not like that you have rummaged through my belongings  
Feel free to change into your clothes I have for you in the right closet in the corner  
Then meet me at the training room when you are ready  
Slade_

Damn, that bastard had everything all planned. He was always one step ahead! Robin ripped the paper to shreds, not wanting to see it again.

"Stupid cheating note. And I thought you were something important," Robin mumbled as he threw the pieces into the trash bin, not caring if they all got there or not.

Robin stomped over to the closet, throwing the sliding door away with force to relieve his anger.

_Don't destroy the door_

Something in Robin's mind clicked. "Darn you Slade! Stop reading me and treating me like some stupid guinea pig! If you have anything to say, come say it straight to my face!"

It came to no surprise that no one answered. Growling angrily, he took off the paper, squished it into a small ball, and then threw it over his shoulder, not caring where it fell. He started to feel something boiling inside of him. He pulled the clothing furiously out of the closet, only to find yet another small folded piece of paper. It fell to the floor. He quickly picked it up.

_Calm your mind before_ _your headache and nausea return  
There is a big mirror hidden on the wall_ _next to the bathroom  
Close the doors with _**care  
**_See you in the training room_

_"Close the doors with care_," Robin imitated Slade with a rather sarcastic tone.

He closed the closet with one powerful slide. With deep breaths, he stepped to where the bathroom door was and threw the suit onto Slade's king-sized bed. With a rather loud sigh, he leaned on the wall, pressing his forehead against the cold metal to cool his nerves. He had only been up for about fifteen minutes and already Slade managed to strike a few nerves, without even being there in person. Robin squeezed his eyes shut to collect himself. He lifted his right hand to start banging at the wall, hopefully finding the place that opened the mirror.

After banging on it for a while, he started to think of a completely different way of trying to open the trapdoor, seeing as nothing happened no matter how much he hit it. And what made him so sure it was the right way anyway? Somehow, Robin just felt familiar with the way of opening the door, like if Slade had some other hidden passages with the same kind of opening system before. Finally deciding to give up on his method, he moved his head back. To his surprise, the wall opened immediately after the contact had been removed. Eyes narrowing, Robin looked at the now visible, full-length mirror and all the things beside it, placed on hangers on both sides at about arm's length.

_'You have __**got**__ to be kidding me,'_ the thought escaped Robin as he noticed the hairspray on the right top holder. _'Now he decides to tell me after I've gotten my hair wet.' _He sighed. _'Can't put it on now until my hair is dry. Dammit.'_

Giving up, Robin took his new uniform from the bed, sending a glare at it that clearly stated he would loathe wearing it, no matter how great it might be. Gritting his teeth, he started to strip off his black and white night wear, threw them on the bed, and then tried to get the new uniform on.

The suit was like a second skin. Getting it on took a bit of effort, but surprisingly it didn't hold onto his moving back at all. In fact, the cloth was like it didn't even exist. Man could move as freely as he'd want with this. His first thought was that it would be the same as wearing a diving suit, but that wasn't the case at all. Diving suits were stiff and awkward. People could barely move in those as it didn't allow elbows or knees to fold and bend. But this suit didn't have that problem. Besides, it barely weighed anything at all, so it really felt like he was wearing nothing. This made Robin feel a little awkward, but as he looked at the reflection in the mirror, he could see that the suit _was_ on. It was even better looking than his old one and he could say that it suited him better. Not that he wanted to wear it anyway.

Robin examined his reflection in the mirror. The cloth showed off his abs and hugged every curve of his body. Secretly, Robin thanked god that he had all his muscles and curves in the right places, otherwise this suit would definitely give him away. With a small smile, he took two steps backwards and admired his reflection in the mirror.

The suit was mostly black with a big silver "S" on his torso. It started from his left armpit and went over his collarbone to the right armpit. From there it went across his stomach to the left side on his waist, where it ended at the right side, curving through his lower abs first. The "S" worked effectively as a divider, as the right side of his torso of the suit, including the arm, was orange. The left hand from his elbows down was also orange and the suit also had some little orange details on his thigh. There was also a smaller "S" inside the bigger one, on his chest, which Robin noted with great distaste. And just for some little extra show, or protection, there was a silver neck plate, shoulder protectors, knee pads, and leg protectors. The suit had shoes all on its own, so no need for them.

Not bad even if he said so himself. But Robin still didn't like wearing it. Well maybe a little. For show. But…No! He didn't like Slade's new uniform, and that was it! Period!

Robin stomped back to the closet and looked in there again, just to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The closet was empty except for a gray case that was placed on the furthest right corner. Curious as he was, he pulled it out and went to sit on Slade's bed to take a better look.

It had no security codes, so he opened it without problems. He noticed then that there were gloves and a belt to go with the suit and, even more surprisingly, a new mask to go with it too. And, no surprise, a note was inside it.

_Use the new mask  
The special glue tube on the left side of the mirror will help it stick  
Come when you are ready_

Robin picked up the new mask and looked at it with great distaste. _'Do I have to?' _Robin was giving in way too easily—he knew—but it was only for one week. Not that the mask was too different anyway. It looked the same like his usual one, but it had the curves on the ends. The curves were rather long actually, reaching somewhere near his temple, probably only to look more threatening? _'Or to remind people of Slade, seeing as his mask has the same kind of curves near his eye too.'_ Robin made a face and seemed to get into a fight with himself. _'What the hell, it's only for one week. Then I'm free and can do whatever the hell I please.'_ And with that, he jumped up and walked up to the mirror, grabbing the sides of the mask. _'Or maybe this is a trap? A trap to see my eyes?'_

Robin really hated his inner voice sometimes. He shifted from one foot to the other at the thought. Maybe he could just keep his eyes shut… Nah, he felt like he wanted to see his eyes, just to make sure they were not bloodshot. Shaking his head again, he blamed his paranoia and then quickly tore the mask off. With his eyes still shut, he covered them with his hand and took a glimpse behind it.

_'Who knows what kind of reflecting glass and cameras that idiot uses,' _he thought.

His eyes were slightly red, but nothing bad, he noted as he smeared some of the glue on his new mask with his free hand. Cursing Slade in his mind, he fitted the mask in place and then went back to the case to get the belt and gloves. Sighing in surrender as he finally got all of them ready, Robin stepped out of the room and left the case on Slade's bed, not caring about taking it back to the closet. As he stepped out of the room, the door closed behind him automatically and he doubted that it would open again to let him back in.

_'There's no turning back,' _Robin thought. He started walking along the corridors, not caring if he got lost or not. Slade wouldn't let him escape and he knew it; the man would come back to get him. There were square lamps on the ceiling every once in a while and they were lit in every twist and corner. _'So this is my room now is it?'_

Robin walked to where he thought his room was supposed to be. Slade was probably going to make him stay in there from now on. Just out of curiosity, he opened the door and looked inside. The room was not the way they had left it. The cover wasn't on the floor anymore to get dry, but on the bed, all neat and tidy. The floor and shower were no longer wet either. All-in-all, the room looked like no one had lived there; clean and taken care of.

_'Is this my room after all?'_ Of course it was. Everything else in the room was right as when he came in. The hideout was no hotel after all. There was, without a doubt, no other room like this. _'Must be a Slade-bot's doing.'_

Throwing the door closed, Robin turned his back and tried to remember his surroundings; who knew when it would be useful to know the hideout's corridors. He then turned to walk left, away from his quarters. The halls all looked the same, the only difference were the doors that led to who knows where. There were twists and turns and of course some windows in order to watch from the corridor to inside the room. These helped Robin the most. That way he could easily tell if he was walking in circles, was in familiar territory, was going in the right direction, or whatever. For example, he had been circling around the kitchen for a while now.

_'Damn labyrinth!'_ Robin growled in frustration as he noticed that he was once again standing in front of a window that he could see led to a storage room. Being as determined as he was, Robin decided to walk straight without taking any turns this time. _'The corridors couldn't possibly go on forever! Or could they?'_ He now walked until he came to a corner that the only way he could go was to take a left turn. Straight forward from there was a door with no window. Walking forward, he examined it. _'This is the door back to Slade's room.' _Robin's face fell. "This can't be!" he yelled out loud, to break off some of his frustration. _'Fine, I'll explore every corridor if I have to!'_

And with that, he took off running along the corridors. Robin noted each room he saw in his head; conference room, living room, computer room, laboratory, weapon storage, Slade-bot storage, place to make Slade-bots, kitchen again? Security room, empty room… _Jail? _Storage, non-shooting weapons, Slade training in a training room, infirmary… Wait, what? Halting, Robin turned around to look in the previous room. Well, he found him. There Slade was, training with his Slade-bots.

_'Or rather making them useless junk,' _Robin thought. He noticed the head of a bot had just hit the window straight at his head's height, which made him so happy that the window was there to guard him. Slade had really taken a liking when training with his _toys_. The room was full of Slade-bots, which were attacking him with a variety of weapons: bo staves, swords, nunchucks, spears, and god knows what else. Slade was simply barehanded. _'How can he take on so many opponents at once?'_

That was the only thought that crossed Robin's mind at that moment as he saw Slade fighting his way through the human-like machines. Roundhouse kicks were performed and Slade seemed to jump from one place to another instead of staying in one place. He was quickly surrounded by more robots. Slade jumped away again to be a little bit farther from one bot, swinging his right arm and hitting its neck, stunning it. Once again, he jumped behind another bot and kicked it in the back. It flew into the bot in front of it, which hit the kicked bot to the floor like it had been performing some kind of self-defense move. Slade seemed to be in a rush and fully into the battle that was taking place. Robin found himself captivated in the fight. Slade seemed entirely focused as he kicked the bots, making his way from one side of the room to the other.

Robin was now completely mesmerized. This happened to be the first time he could just be the observer instead of the one fighting against Slade. All of the man's moves were coordinated and not a single emotion seemed to enter his eye as he hit his opponents that looked like real people. He was graceful and he seemed to glide from one place to another, not making a single sound. Somehow he was even able to move so fast and avoidably, like he knew all the moves that his robots were about to perform. Not even one blow seemed to hit Slade as he had already dodged an attack. Before the bot could prepare again, the man was already behind it to stun it with a swift move.

The bots seemed to fall like nothing as Slade moved fast and devious around them, hitting them in every fatal organ of the human body. The Slade-bots didn't have a chance and they were soon lying on the floor, unmoving and tainted. Slade, on the other hand, didn't seem to have suffered from any damage. He now made his way to the window. With that only visible eye, he stared straight at Robin, daring him to step into the room.

"That was…awesome," Robin said, ending with the slightest bit of uncertainty.

"Yes," was Slade's only answer as he called for some new robots to clean up after him.

Robin grimaced as he saw the broken robots being taken care of. They were really made to look like real humans. They had all the same details and features that humans did and they even seemed to _bleed_. It really made him feel nauseous as the other bots dragged the junk metal off with no sympathy, leaving a bloody red trail behind them. Some of the cuts and bruises looked so real that more than once he doubted if they weren't real people after all. Even the faces looked real and the emotions were still visible on their now lifeless faces. They still held those shocked eyes, painful screams, and looks of total suffering as they were dragged away. The sight really made Robin's stomach uneasy. Only when he saw the robot's head that Slade had kicked off was in its lap did Robin finally lose his cool and make him want to really puke.

"Robin, I understand your uneasiness, but try to remember they are still only robots," Slade said as he took Robin by the shoulder to turn him away from the sight. He made him look at him instead. "So I take it that you are now rested and ready for some training?" Robin nodded slightly, not knowing if he really wanted to train if it meant that he needed to be fighting against those robots. "No Robin, you won't be fighting with robots anytime soon. Instead, we'll do some warm-ups and then, if you feel up for it, we can have some one-on-one sparring."

Slade turned to the training room that had now been fully cleaned with no sight of the previous massacre.

"How can you be so…neutral about this?" Robin finally mumbled as he followed Slade to one separate room, which had all kinds of equipment in it, like punching bags and weights.

"It's what I do best," Slade said. "It's the main thing to consider when deciding your job."

"Yeah, but…I mean like, how can you stand doing this? Why do you do what you do?"

"I bet you'd like to know," Slade said dismissively. He walked to the corner of the room where all the training mats were located. Robin followed behind him. "I expect you to perform one hundred pushups for starters." Slade pulled a mat away from the wall and sat it before Robin. He watched as he lay down and started his exercise. "Don't forget to count or I'll make you do them from the very beginning."

Robin rolled his eyes and started to count under his breath. "Ten…eleven…twelve…"

Pushups had never been one of Robin's specialties and Slade knew that. His grasp was way too weak for his taste. Not to mention he needed more strength in his hands. Robin had already reached eighty when he started having some problems.

"Robin, I know you have been sick and are still weak, but I know you can perform better than that."

"Shut up and let me do it myself," Robin snarled. This took Slade off guard. He didn't want him to snap at him. Maybe he needed to teach the kid some anger management and manners. "Ninety-f-five…n-ninety-s-six…ninety-seven."

When Robin was one push-up away, Slade said with a smirk, "Now do ten more." Scowling, the boy performed the requested push-ups. "Good, we'll come back to this later, but for now some sit-ups." Scowling again, Robin changed his position and started again with his new exercise. Unbeknownst to him, Slade was testing Robin on his abilities with the exercises he had given him. Once the boy had gone through the usual ones, Slade decided to praise him with a ten minute break.

"Enjoy this rest, because we'll move onto much harder exercises next, like chin-ups, punches, kicks, and, just to annoy you, some more push-ups, this time one-handed."

Groaning, Robin fell onto his back, burying his head with his hands. He felt slightly disappointed as he suddenly found out that now he could barely perform half the effort he usually did. His sickness had really taken him down several levels. To be perfectly honest, Robin was really disappointed, or better yet, mad at himself about how weak he had gotten. Not wanting to look like some stupid wimp, notably in Slade's eyes, he wanted to force himself as much as he could. He was not weak!

Cold water was suddenly thrown onto his head. He quickly sat up and choked on some that had entered his mouth.

"Just a boost for you. Now let's get back to work." Slade said, throwing the plastic mug, from which he had thrown the water on Robin's face, away.

"Bastard, you could have just said so!" Robin said angrily, still out of breath from coughing.

"I did, several times, with no answer. Besides, that's not the way you speak to your superiors."

"Fuck you and your superiors," Robin groaned angrily.

This comeback resulted in punishment. Slade stepped down on Robin's hand that had been on the floor beside him with his steel-toed boot.

"What was that? I thought I heard you nagging about something." Robin just grimaced in pain and tried to pull his hand away futilely. "We can either do this in peace without scolding each other, that being the easiest and best way, or we can make this hard for the both of us. Which is it going to be?"

"Like you could!" Robin growled, but was already regretting his words as Slade put more force down, shifting the position to put more pressure on his hand.

Robin almost screamed in pain as he felt the bone in his middle finger beginning to come close to snapping in two.

"You have not given me any reason to, so you don't know. Now, answer my question," Slade said with a threatening tone, which caused goosebumps to run along Robin's spine.

Just for some more reassurance, Slade put forth even more pressure. This time Robin practically screamed. "You win! Whatever! Just don't crush my hand!" Robin yelled among the screams, trying to lift Slade's boot off.

"Now say the magic word."

"Never!" Slade stomped down more powerfully until a slight crack was heard. Robin _really_ screamed from the top of his lungs this time. "Please! Please, let me go! Please!"

"Fine, if that's what you want," Slade said smugly.

He took his foot of Robin's hand. The boy took it in his other hand, as though trying to protect it. _'Like that would even ease the pain.'_

"I expect obedience and respect, Robin. So far you have not been successful with these areas," Slade said. He then knelt before Robin, reaching his hand for him. "Now, give me your hand."

"No!"

"Trust, Robin, trust," Slade said reassuringly, holding his hand out to him still. Robin just looked at him like he was some kind of maniac who would rip his hand off if he got a hold of it. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to move his hand further away from him. Slade did not a move, just looked at Robin with his only visible gray eye. "Trust me," Slade said again, looking deeply into Robin's masked eyes.

Robin felt that eye piercing into him. He suddenly remembered it when he walked with Slade to the kitchen last night:

_"It was just a test then?"  
"In a way it was. There is one thing I seek from my apprentice and that is trust. I don't require acceptance or agreement of my opinions, just trust for what I'm doing is the best. There is no need to worry over petty things. And congratulations; you passed."_

Robin still shook his head slightly, but he finally gave in to Slade's look. It was like his stare would have drilled its way into his soul and make him do what he wanted. Robin allowed him to carefully take his hand.

"Good boy, now let's take a look at it," Slade said, examining his hand, which was now completely red. The middle finger seemed to be loose and was in a weird position. "Now tell me if it hurts." Robin already told him what was hurting before he even started feeling for any breaks and/or bruises. Slade completely ignored him. "It seems the middle finger has been dislocated, but nothing too serious." Slade looked back at Robin. "I can put it back, but it will hurt. I hope you have learned something from this."

_'Oh, like you're a huge sadistic bastard that will break my fingers if I disobey?'_

Not daring to say that out loud, Robin just nodded and then squeezed his eyes shut. Taking a firm grip on his middle finger, Slade, without warning, pulled it back and then quickly forced it upward. A pop sound as his finger was put back into place was silenced by Robin's cry of pain. He held it in his other hand after Slade released it, trying to stop the painful throbbing.

"You've had enough training for today," Slade said, heading for the door. "We will postpone the rest until after you take a short nap. Now, let's get some ice to put on your hand and some food as well since we skipped lunch hour."

Slade stopped, waiting for Robin to catch up with his back turned. The teen still sat there in slight shock, trying out his hand, squeezing it into a loose fist and back open a few times. Everything moved as they should, but it hurt to do so. Ignoring it, he rose up and jogged over to Slade. They walked to the kitchen in silence, neither wanting to say a thing. As they reached their destination, Robin sat in a chair and looked at his hand reticently. Slade was concentrating on other things, namely getting a bag of ice. Finding one amongst everything else he kept in the freezer, he wrapped a towel around it before throwing it to him.

Trusting that he would fair alone, Slade started to rummage the cupboards for something to eat. Robin, meanwhile, was buried deeply in his thoughts. Everything seemed to pass him by as he paid no attention to the things surrounding him. His thoughts were soon disrupted as he got a plateful of food in front of him. Robin just looked at it momentarily before looking at his companion. Slade put everything on the table: bread, butter, and milk. He sat down on the other side next to his own plate. Finally breaking from his thoughts, Robin began to eat.

"A dollar for your thoughts," Slade finally said, breaking the silence as he buttered a slice of bread.

A long moment of silence followed.

"You really think we could get along?" Robin soon asked.

"With some alterations, yes." Robin just nodded, brushing his hand. "Who knows, maybe it won't be so bad," Slade added, to get him to open up a bit.

Robin raised his head from the table and said, "I guess." He ate some more in silence. Once full, he rested his head on the table in exhaustion. He didn't want to say that he was already tired. The nausea had really taken a toll on him. "Thanks for the ice."

Slade nodded. "Take it with you and go to sleep," he said, taking their plates to the sink. "You have a full day of training ahead of you tomorrow. You'll need enough rest to fully overcome your nausea. It holds you back."

Slade started to walk away, Robin coming right behind him.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," he mumbled quietly, even though it wouldn't matter; Slade already made his decision.

It didn't take them long to walk to Robin's room. Slade knew the way by heart, unlike the boy, who got lost once or twice. He held the door open for him. Robin just stood by it, looking inside the dark, dull, and lonely space.

"Off you go now."

Robin tried to say something against this, thinking of anything to prevent himself from going in there. "Well I…I left my sleep clothes in your room."

Slade sighed, but Robin didn't hear it. Suddenly smiling slightly under his mask, he shut the door and headed for his room, Robin following behind. He was half awake, half asleep as he followed him, like a duckling and his mother. Reaching the room a few minutes later, Slade entered and went straight to his desk with his computer. He sat down as Robin slumped backwards on his bed, which highly amused him.

"If I say "you may sleep in here just this once", will you at least change into your nightwear first?" Slade asked with a grin on his lips as he watched the tired teen mumble something incoherent.

Robin forced himself up and tried to get the suit off himself. Slade was grinning more madly now. The suit had been one hell of a goldmine for him. It looked really good on Robin, especially now as he tried getting it off in his half-awake state. He just squirmed around in minimal movements, trying to slide it off his body. For Slade it was like watching his own personal strip show. Robin was being so slow with his movements that it gave Slade a chance to admire his chest, side, and back. It was especially difficult to get off before his gloves, which the boy now tried to do to get his hands free.

After much struggling, Robin was finally able to get them free. He pulled the suit off completely, ending up showing off his boxer-covered ass to Slade as he tried ripping it off his legs, which was rather challenging. Slade was grinning widely during the whole show. He was then able to get a good look at Robin's nice naked body as he wore only his boxers. Then, much to his enjoyment, he noticed that he did a slow spin around in place as he looked for his sleep clothes. It was like the kid was modeling for him, Slade mused.

Robin finally found his shirt, making Slade lick his lips as he pulled the overly big T-shirt over his head. He had to hold his arms up to slip it on, showing off his abs, chest, slim waist, and delicate skin and features. It finally slipped down, covering him completely.

"Night Slade…" Robin mumbled before he fell down, probably falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

"Night, Robin."

A small mumbling sound was heard from Robin's direction, which made Slade smile. The kid had no idea what he was doing to him, did he?


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** All hail to Sladinforever who was able to edit ALL of this! Now on with the story!

**Take your medicine, Chapter six  
**

Slade had been observing Robin sleep once again after he had gotten bored while browsing on the internet. Besides, the boy was way more interesting than that blank screen with various letters. Robin's sleeping habits were interesting at least to observe. This time the boy kept still. No thrashing around, no odd sounds, and no random jolts of sitting up and then back down. It actually made him wonder; what exactly did the boy dream about the night before. This time though the boy slept like an angel. There was a minimum of sounds heard from the teen and he seemed to be sleeping lightly. He had not moved at all, besides one gesture to pillow his head with his hand. Only a slight sniffle was heard from the boy. Other than that, the room was completely silent, besides the constant humming of the computer.

That reminded Slade about the machine. He didn't really have anything to do with it exactly, but he tried to get at least a little bit of work done. The computer he had in his bedroom was mainly for browsing, seeing the computer was a complete piece of crap. It was slow and it barely had any suitable or usable programs with it. Well it had Word; _had_ being the key word. He had deleted the entire program one night while suffering from a devious insomnia. What could he do? That damned paper clip kept nagging at him that there was no such thing as 120mm L4 MoBAT or that there was a slight misuse on the array. Besides, Open Office sufficed much better. It was a miracle he had decided to keep it. Well, if you get a free computer, then it was worth it, Slade supposed. It wasn't like he had actually paid for that piece of crap. And it was still good enough for browsing and to distract oneself when you couldn't find anything else to do in the middle of the night.

It wasn't night right now, however. It was only the afternoon. Two o'clock to be exact. Robin had been sleeping for one hour. In Slade's opinion, it was about time to wake him up to continue training. To be honest, the man wasn't happy with Robin's strength and condition; not happy at all. What kind of muscle diminishing illness did he have? The boy could barely manage a few hundred of each exercise and Slade knew he could do better than that. But there was so little he could do for this problem. It was not like he could just fill the boy up with muscle regenerating medicines and other things like steroids. That would be unhealthy and just plain stupid. Only way to get this done was to get the boy trained and have his stamina and strength improve on its own. This time there were no shortcuts; no miracle pills or medicines that could get you back on your feet in no time.

At least Slade had made something useful while Robin rested. He had made a training agenda, with all kinds of exercises and things to perform on a daily basis to improve on the boy's performance on different courses. Some of the exercises were to strengthen his muscles, to make him more flexible, to improve his stamina and endurance. Some were simple exercises to strengthen his will and improve self-control. To be honest, Slade was proud of his agenda. It was fool proof. It could be applied to many things and he had even come up with some exercises that the boy would consider as fun and would do them willingly. And best of all, it had results for both sides of the party.

For Robin it put him in good shape and it improved his condition just as much as it made him stronger in physical and mental stability. And for Slade, well, let's just say that it's much more profitable to have an apprentice capable of running some errands for you. Slade really thought that this week could lead to something. He just had to woo the boy on his side.

Slade grinned under his mask as he thought about it. Maybe if he acted nice, made the boy trust him some more, and show him that everything he'd want would be profited by him, he would start to develop some…_affection_ for the other man. Then he'd learn to trust him, to open up to him, and maybe, just maybe, give himself up a little.

The grin in on Slade's face formed to that of a Cheshire cat. Besides, it was always a pleasure to have one well tuned, well fit, young, willing man around.

* * *

Robin was sleeping peacefully. He was dreaming about his friends. They were all going to their favorite pizza bar, fighting over what to order.

Beast Boy insisted vegetarian, as usual, and Cyborg wanted meat. That was obvious. The two were always fighting over it, but Robin was sure they enjoyed it as much as anything else. It didn't really mean anything and the teen was sure they fought only because they could. There really didn't need to be a good reason for it. And this he could prove that they could just buy their own pizza, one for each. Still, they wanted to have a big pizza shared, just so they could fight about the topping. So that's why instead of telling them to piss off, he told Cyborg to keep his eyes on the road.

Sometimes Robin's friends were so stupid and predictable, but they were fun to be around; they made it feel like home. They made things feel right. He belonged there, with them, laughing with them to their jokes, having heart-to-heart conversations about games and movies, goofing around with them, and more importantly, fighting over the pizza topping.

Meanwhile, Starfire had joined Beast Boy and Cyborg, wanting to have mustard on her pizza. Soon all three were nagging about their pizza topping. Robin and Raven were the only ones who didn't have a say in their fight and sat watching the three so at it. Once the volume rose up too loud, Raven had snapped and made them all buy a pizza of their liking; it really was a day like any other with his friends.

They had finally reached the pizzeria itself as the T-car was safely parked in the parking lot. Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg had already dashed to the counter when they entered, ready to order, only to be held up behind a line. Robin and Raven walked after them, coming up behind them, only to find that the conversation about pizza had changed to a conversation about the movie they all were going to watch when they got back to the tower. It was their day off, so it was expected.

"No way dude, we are going to watch a zombie movie! I don't care about your pirates! Besides, they are nothing special. Zombies are like, way better! They are undead! It's so cool to watch the hero fight them down. Even if he can't kill them, they are already dead!"

"Don't you dare call my pirates boring! Zombies are a waste of space. What's the point in killing them if they are already dead, huh?! Pirates have these cool, well designed ships, and they steal from the wealthy. They also have these cool sword fights and the whole wide sea is their only companion! Pirates it is!"

"But friends, I think we should watch a vampire romance movie. I think vampires are like outcasts; misunderstood. They are like Zorflag; they only do it because they have to. They are nothing bad, just being what they were meant to be."

Robin couldn't believe that he actually considered watching a romance movie about vampires after hearing Star. She was right; it was only their nature. Humans were racist towards them since they thought they were bad only because they did what they had to do to survive. Raven seemed to think the same way, which meant three votes for vampires, and the rest…were on the losing side. So without setting the two off, Robin announced that they could watch all three movies.

Cheering was heard from all three. Smiling genuinely, Robin stepped forward in line, now taking his turn to order their pizzas. The three tried to shout behind his back to the one taking orders, but he managed to quiet them down. Just as he was telling their orders, something hit his chest. At first he thought it was one of his friends accidentally pushing him when trying to get a better look, but then he noticed it was the cashier.

The man had pushed his hand against Robin's chest before leaning over the counter to speak into his ear.

He whispered, "It's time to start training again."

His voice sounded just like Slade. He then leaned back a little to look in Robin's eyes, who looked back at him with mild surprise that showed in his eyes. The man had a Cheshire smile on his face and he leaned closer to whisper "apprentice" and it sounded exactly the way Slade said it when the boy was his apprentice. He sounded exactly like the Slade from that time. The man leaned back, and Robin stared at his only visible gray eye. He laughed at Robin. Laughed and shook his shoulder.

"It's time to start your training again." Robin heard it much clearer this time. It sounded exactly like Slade, but somehow it didn't sound like the man behind the counter laughing at his face. "Robin, we are leaving." The man suddenly stopped laughing, now looking at Robin with a serious face. 'We are leaving' was still ringing in his ears. He then grabbed his shoulder and pulled him towards him. The next thing Robin noticed was that he was standing in a gray room, standing beside Slade. "It's about time you woke up. We are leaving to train some more. I have made you an agenda that you will follow. I think you should try it out, now dress."

The real life Slade, as Robin noticed after being completely dumbfound of the whole thing, was speaking to him commandingly. He still thought he was dreaming, but after hitting his leg on the corner of the bed as he was going to get his clothes with Slade's 'guiding push', he noticed that this was very much real. The corner was sharp.

'_Reality sucks.'_

That's what Robin noted first. Right now he was missing his friends. Were they missing him too? Looking for him? Worrying shitless? Would they be sad? Maybe angry? They probably would be angry. Especially Starfire wouldn't understand. She'd keep asking how he could have agreed to be with this man for one week, why he didn't escape, or let them know if he was alright. How could he betray them by sticking with this loony, as Beast Boy would say. One of the worst things was that he really didn't know if the changeling would say it as a joke or with a dead serious tone.

Was Robin betraying his friends by agreeing to do this? What would even happen if he decided not to? Did he even have a choice? No he didn't. He had to do this and that was it. It wasn't like you could just quit on Slade. That man would have anyone's head before he would let anyone quit. Robin was on a 'friend-thinking' spree. He really missed them. This place where he was now was dull and lonely. That just encouraged him to think about the differences between being with his friends and being with Slade there. The difference between the two was that the company was different. Slade was…Slade.

'_Idiot, who else would he be?'_

Snorting to himself, Robin started to get dressed in his uniform, wanting to distract himself from thinking of anyone in particular. He didn't want to think of his friends now, seeing as it only made him sad. Not to mention he didn't want to think about Slade because that made him angry. The man once again was trying to isolate him from anyone else but him and trying to brainwash him to be his loyal apprentice.

To keep his mind off people, Robin compared his Titan uniform with his new apprentice one, which was like comparing apples to oranges. For him, his hero uniform was better. Though, to be honest, Robin wasn't too fond of his cape at times because it sometimes got stuck on something. And the whooshing sound and the feel of it billowing after you as wind caught it was kind of annoying. But it was necessary hero attire. Every hero had a cape that was for sure. Another point to his usual uniform; he didn't need to be scared of child molesters while wearing it. What could he say; the Robin uniform was spacious to say the least. It was meant for him to move freely.

The apprentice uniform was _way_ different. You couldn't really imagine a hero jumping off rooftops and saving children in skin tight Kevlar that just screamed _fuck me_. He wouldn't dare go into public wearing this even if he could choose from the two. Robin hated tight clothes that didn't allow much movement. He hated, no _loathed_, the feeling of being trapped. What he hated most about Slade's uniform was the stupid colors and, more importantly, the stupid _S_ on the chest. He despised the idea of jumping in Slade's colors. Then he felt like he was somehow tied to the man. He didn't need anyone, and he wanted to be free. Just himself; no one to hold him back. Robin just couldn't stand the feeling of being held back. To feel trapped, to be stifled. He had gotten tired of doing as other adults told him to. He just wanted to be himself.

Robin soon got the suit on, seeing that in his anxious state he had just pulled it on as fast as he could. Slade nodded his approval and commanded him to come with him as they walked out of the room. They had only walked for a little while. They still had a long way to go to the training room when Slade opened up for conversation.

"It would be helpful for me to know if you have any fears or phobias or anything that might slow you down."

Robin stopped in his tracks, Slade stopping too to stare at him with his only visible eye, demanding to have him answer _truthfully_.

"Do you honestly think that I will let you know all my secrets and flaws, just so you can use them against me when the time comes?" Robin said, or rather yelled, with anger and determination in his voice. "I'm not telling you anything. I'm not that stupid."

'_Can Slade really be that stupid to expect me to reveal my weaknesses to him?'_

Robin was interrupted by a throaty laugh coming from the man in front of him and that set the boy off, leaving him staring at him in disbelief.

"Robin, I'm not going to backstab you, nor will I let _anyone_ else do that. Only I have the authority to do that and I give you my word that I will not," Slade explained, dead serious. "I do not lie to my apprentice. And I _don't_ cope with an apprentice who allows his fear to control him. I'm asking you so I know what we need to improve on. As far as I'm concerned, I see that fear of yours as a disadvantage and I am more than willing to work on it."

Robin had no choice but to agree, which he hated.

"I don't have any phobias," Robin stated matter-of-factly.

He started to walk again, telling Slade without words that he wouldn't cooperate with him on this.

"Of course you don't," Slade said. "Only rare people do in fact, but do you fear _anything_?"

There were two things he hated the most, Robin noted. One, Slade could keep up with his fast, almost jogging, pace by only walking along side him and, second, the man just couldn't let go, could he?

"If you expect me to tell you my weakness, then fine, what's yours?" Robin asked sarcastically, not even looking at the man walking next to him.

Slade's pace didn't change at all and it annoyed Robin. Was there anything that shook the man up at least a little bit?

"Robin, this time, it's not about me, but you. I have overcome my fears a long time ago and I expect you to do the same."

Expectations, expectations! Robin mentally cursed the man to all seven Hells and back for having the nerve to say that to him. But still, somehow it felt nice to hear that for once; it was not about someone else, but him. Was he being selfish by thinking that? Maybe, but he wouldn't admit it, would he?

"Tight spaces. I fear of getting trapped," Robin mumbled with an inaudible voice, not even looking at the man, not wanting to let him see him in his embarrassed state when admitting that he _had_ a weakness.

But of course Slade heard him just as well as when having normal, every day conversation.

"Understandable. Seeing as you have been named after a bird and you like to do those headless tricks, jump from one roof to another, drive fast with you motorcycle, and on top of that, being an athlete and a trapeze artist; I don't wonder," Slade said passively, and only noticed after two steps that Robin was left behind, standing in mild shock. He turned to him and smirked behind his mask. "_Dick_, did you really think I wouldn't find out? It is obvious. Of course Mr. Wayne _is_ Batman. There aren't many people who can _afford_ what he can and have the motive for it. And besides, what a coincidence that not long ago when Bruce Wayne adopted a son, Batman got a sidekick as well. I only wonder how no one else noticed. Now come, we have an agenda to follow."

Slade started walking once again, leaving a dumbfounded Robin behind, but after recovering it didn't take long for him to catch up. Soon they were in the training room, Slade standing in the middle of it, Robin right in front him.

"This is your training program," Slade said, handing him a stack of papers that were held in one stack by a paper clip.

Robin mumbled something that resembled the word 'okay' as he took a look at the content. The first thing he needed to do was some stretches and then there was some flexing, probably jogging. Not caring to read on, he just decided to get started and, after finishing one task, he could then move on to the next. He skimmed through a few pages to see what kind of stretches he actually had to do. The basics, all the same ones he had to do before and, knowing Slade, he would have to do the push and sit-ups he performed an hour or two ago again. Robin threw the sheet away and sat down to get started with the sit-ups.

After half an hour, Robin had to admit that all these stretches were actually there for good reason. He had to perform one hundred of each and, after finally having finished with his last exercise, pull-ups, he could feel the ache in every muscle in his body. And as everyone knew, there wasn't a better way to tell that the exercises worked than an ache in your body after you have done it.

"Good job Robin. Maybe we can get somewhere this time," Slade said neutrally, but Robin was sure it wasn't meant as an irritant. "Next part is flexing to get you sweat." Slade opened a new door that revealed a room that Robin had not seen before. Being curious, the teen tried to sneak a peek behind his back to see what was inside the room, but Slade was covering the view by standing in front of the door. "This is what I call steeplechase. Start from here and try to get to the end of the course."

Robin stepped into the room after Slade moved away from the door. He could say that he was positively surprised by what he saw. The room was like a dream come true. It had _everything_. It was not just a normal steeplechase as Slade had put it, but it was more like a survival course. There were all kinds of traps and obstacles. Some he could already see, but he knew that the course was longer than it looked and there would be many more obstacles to come.

"I warn you right now; I recommend you be very careful. I don't want you getting killed on the very first day by a booby trap," Slade said, pushed against Robin's back to move him in so he could start on the steeplechase. "I will keep an eye on you, so no need to worry. You may begin."

With a yelp, Robin was now running along the course with the help of Slade's encouraging slap on the ass. If that slap was just for show, Robin didn't like the man's humor. If it was for anything else, he was sure he'd chop the entire limb off if given the chance. But for now, Robin couldn't concentrate on the matter for very long; the course would really be the end of him if he let that concentration slip.

The first part of the course was easy: some normal jump over obstacles, then some car tires, after that a barbed wire fence which he needed to crawl under, and then a two meter tall wall that he needed to climb.

That part was easy. For him at least. He then moved on the next obstacle, only to notice that he had just stepped fifteen centimeters away from a land mine. He thanked the Gods he hadn't stepped on it. Carefully jumping forward while avoiding mines, he tried to get that part of the course done with, not really liking the idea of exploding to bits after one misstep. Robin kept his eyes steadily on the floor, looking closely for the next land mine about a meter away, stepping further from it. His eyes were examining the ground in small areas at a time and, when he took the next, rather long step, he was surprised, or rather scared to death, as his foot sank into the floor. Robin then noticed that it crumbled under him, making him lose his balance and begin to fall. His eyes looked down wildly and a mild shock hit him as he noticed what kind of shit he had just gotten himself in to.

This was most definitely the booby trap Slade had warned him about. Robin could see a sharp spike under him at the bottom of the pitfall, just waiting to puncture him in one fatal pierce. Panicking, Robin tried to reach for anything that he could, cursing at himself for not having any of his weapons or other equipment with him.

There was little to no time to think so he did the only thing he could. He buried his hands and legs deep within the soil trying to slow down the fall, if possible, stop it from happening all together. And what a help that was. It didn't work at all the way he wanted it to. Robin was now rolling on the dirt, hitting his sides on the rocks and scratching himself on sharp pebbles. Sand and dust got in his eyes and he felt his face getting scuffed. He knew there was nothing to do and the only thing that was left was to hope that he died fast and not suffer for very long.

As a reflex, Robin curled his body into a tight ball to protect himself, even though he knew it wouldn't be any good. He soon realized though that he wasn't dead and he wasn't going to be. The falling had stopped and he was floating on air. Robin couldn't recall having his eyes closed, but he now tried to open them despite the sharp pain in his eyes because of all the dirt. Looking up, Robin saw Slade holding him by the neck, dangling him in the air just ten centimeters from the spike.

Shaking with relief, Robin relaxed as Slade pulled him from the pit, dropping him on the floor about a meter from the edge. His breathing was uneven and raspy. He hadn't even noticed that he had swallowed dirt and that his mouth and throat was full of it.

"Lesson number one: always plan one step ahead, concentrate on the bigger picture, not the little details, and always expect the unexpected," Slade said as he pulled Robin up and started to drag him from the steeplechase.

Robin was coughing vigorously to get his airways clear so he could breathe properly. Chocking on dirt and dust was one of the most unpleasant experiences. Robin kept coughing until he had absolutely no air in his lungs. Now starting to turn pale, his eyes watered and a hankering sound came from him. Slade, then, decided to do the only thing he could at that exact moment. He stepped behind the boy, wrapped his right arm around him, and shoved his finger down his throat. Robin vomited everything; all the dirt, the half digested food, everything. Slade pulled his hand back and held the gasping boy in his arms. His gloved left hand was glistening with vomit and saliva. With mild disgust from the stench the villain swiped his glove on his pants, deciding to wash them later.

"Th-That was one h-hell of a good hidden booby trap…" Robin mumbled under his breath while trying to catch his breath.

He allowed himself to rest against Slade, feeling his warm and hard chest against his back. He could feel the man's chest rise and fall against him and the slight breath on his neck as he breathed. Inhaling one big breath, Robin tried to stand on his own two feet, but Slade held him where he was.

"Your legs won't be able to support you," he said, lifting the boy up so he had his arm around his neck and his hand around the boy's waist, supporting him as he started dragging Robin with him. "First we'll go take care of your wounds and then grab something to eat."

Slade snapped his fingers to call a Slade-bot to clean up the mess they had made.

"Wh-Why is it that I'm always vomiting around you?" Robin mumbled, still out of breath. Slade decided not to answer. The teen was still in mild shock even if he didn't know it himself. "Wh-Why did you have to h-have me vomiting in the first place?"

Slade rolled his only visible eye and started to take bigger steps in hopes of reaching the infirmary sooner.

"What else did you expect me to do Robin, mouth-to-mouth? That would blow the dirt into your lungs, not out. Vomiting was the only logical way of getting your throat cleaned by your body's own method," Slade said, squeezing the boy a little to quiet him down before he could open his mouth again. "Now shut up and stay quiet."

Half way to the infirmary, Robin had started to try to walk on his own, trying to move his legs as if walking, but to Slade it seemed like he just kicked his legs to annoy him. To the man's relief, they soon reached the infirmary. He laid Robin on the bed, starting to look for disinfection materials, plasters, and some bandages, not sure if he needed any, but better safe than sorry.

Robin in the meantime was lost in thought. Would training with Slade be like this? He had hurt himself twice today already and both times were when he tried to train. First he had his middle finger dislocated and now this? This just couldn't be good for his health. And the actual _work_ hadn't even started yet; this was just training.

Robin was brought back to the present by a stinging sensation to his face as Slade applied disinfectant to his wounds. He squeezed his eyes shut to prevent him from sticking any cotton or disinfectant in them. Robin then reached for the cotton to make the stinging stop.

"I can do it myself; give it to me."

"Sure you can. Now shut up and just lay there without another word," Slade said, slapping Robin's hand away, trying to rub the dirt off his wounds.

Sighing in defeat, Robin decided to make himself comfortable. The sooner it was over, the better. Slade's not so gentle touches were slowly but surely driving him mad. The disinfectant hurt and Robin was sure the man made an extra effort to make it hurt more than it was supposed to. There were so many scratches on his body. All of them itched and were screaming for immediate attention, which naturally meant that they all should be taken care of. This was currently Slade's job. That meant he had to take care of every single wound, including the one on his inner thigh.

Robin blushed slightly and a mental fight with himself came about.

"_That's a private area!" _

_'Yeah, but even that place needs to be disinfected.' _

"_Why does it have to be done by him?" _

'_It's your fault for not looking in front of you; your fault for attempting to stop yourself from falling the way you did.' _

"_It was self defense!" _

'_Fuck it was. Now shut up. You are practically screaming for more trouble, aren't you?'_

It was so embarrassing. Robin just lost to himself when trying to argue about the matter.

Blushing even redder, he tried to hide the wound by holding his legs together so Slade wouldn't know about it. The villain was currently cleaning some bruising on Robin's chest and waist area, noting to himself that the uniform was indeed what he had always thought; a goldmine. Robin could have taken a lot of damage. Who knew what there was in that soil. Some sharp glass splinters for sure, maybe some metal pieces…

Things usually became messy in that room. Its previous use was a waist land for broken robots and usual common junk that couldn't be disposed of anywhere else. After getting used to the idea of recycling, Slade decided to redecorate the room as a survival course. He had gotten that idea after he tried to make his way from the door to the furthest wall, trying to dodge all the trash. He somehow managed to have one horribly sharp metal cane puncture his left leg, but it was his luck that it didn't take long for his healing abilities to fix it. The boot on the other hand didn't have much luck.

For their relief, the suit protected Robin from any critical damage, only having slight bruising or loose skin. Otherwise, the boy had survived with only a slight scare. There was not even one rock or shard that had punctured the clothing and made direct damage.

After taking care of Robin's torso, Slade decided to check his limbs. He was sure that his knees and arms would have at least taken some damage. When he backed off to instruct Robin to take his gloves and boots off, he saw that the boy was practically glowing red.

"Robin, what is it now?"

"Nothing," was the teen's immediate answer, which to Slade meant that there was only one thing it could be; an embarrassing situation for a teenager; even more embarrassing than admitting you were a virgin or just plain innocent.

What exactly was going on Slade didn't know. But, judging by Robin's uncomfortable, shy blush and subconscious need to hide his middle thigh area, he could bet that was where the problem was located.

Deciding to just be cruel, Slade decided to be blunt.

"Undress."

"What? No!" Robin jolted up in protest. "I'm not going to-!"

Slade cut Robin off by covering his mouth with his hand. It was amusing how the boy could overreact so badly when embarrassed. Seeing trough the boy, he could tell that it was something he'd prefer go unnoticed, but somehow he got the idea that it was not as lethal or embarrassing than the boy led him to think. He _was_ slightly amused. The boy was making a show over something, acting childish, and squirming like a school girl. Whatever was wrong with him, he didn't know, but he had to do something before the boy bit his fingers off.

"Undress so I can tend to your wounds," Slade said determinedly.

He let go of the boy's face and stood a foot apart from the boy, waiting for him to get on with it. Robin stared at Slade stunned. To say the least, he didn't know what he would do. There was little to no room for objections, but he didn't want to be half naked around the man. He'd feel vulnerable then. With slightly shaking hands, the teen started to strip the clothing off, first exposing his hands. He then looked at Slade pleadingly, not wanting to strip any further.

"Go on Robin, you know we'll need to take care of almost every inch of your body."

"But I don't want to. Besides it can't be that serious, so far there have only been light scratches and only one was found actually bleeding."

Robin was right in that sense. The scratches were nothing that wouldn't heal on their own and after checking the boy's airways and eyes, almost all damage was now under control. He still preferred to check the boy thoroughly though, just to be sure that nothing was wrong. And to see Robin's skin. That was maybe an ulterior motive, but he didn't give a shit. Robin looked erotic, lying on a bed half dressed, panting slightly and blushing, small red wounds marring his body, and somehow Robin's mask was an added kink. Only thing missing was some ropes or chains…

Shaking his head slightly to get back to the task at hand, Slade prided his luck that Robin didn't notice him drifting. The boy was going to be the end of him, that much was certain. If he couldn't keep his mind in check, sooner or later he'd be in trouble because of it.

"One wound doesn't make an assumed standard. There can be an exception and the only way to find out if there is one is to look yourself."

There really wasn't any room for arguments when Slade said it that way. They both knew it too. When would the teen learn to shut up before he regretted it? Silently withdrawing, Robin removed the remaining cloth, revealing damaged elbows and knees and a long laceration which started from the front of his hip, down to his inner thigh, and ending near the knee.

"What was it again that you said about _nothing serious_ and only _light scratches_?" Slade asked, sounding really sarcastic, deciding to take care of that wound first. "Spread your legs."

Blushing again, but this time being smart and staying quiet, Robin opened his legs wide, making some room for Slade to patch him up.

'_Ugh, this is so embarrassing,'_ he thought as Slade cleaned the wound, rubbing some of his hand-made miracle ointment on the laceration and then wrapping it up securely in bandaging.

To Robin, it seemed to be the longest few minutes of his life. It _seemed_ like Slade took his time healing the wound, sometimes just _slipping_ a little too far than intended when adding the ointment. The man just seemed to _love_ torturing him by rubbing him in all the sensitive places on his thigh. Robin was sure he did all of this to make him even more humiliated. Shivers had raked his body and he wished Slade would have gotten it over with sooner. Right then Robin would have wanted to hide himself somewhere and be left alone tending to his wounds instead.

"Well then, next to take care of your hands and knees," Slade announced with a slap on Robin's thigh. He couldn't hold back a slight hiss. It hadn't actually hurt, but Robin disliked it all the same. Snorting again as Slade roughly shoved his legs against the mattress to get a better look, Robin tried to distract himself from thinking by clearing all his thoughts and trying not to concentrate on Slade. "So how's your hand?"

He was cleaning Robin's left knee when he asked this, catching the boy off guard.

"What hand? What do you-? Oh…" Slade was obviously talking about the one where his middle finger got dislocated. "It's…its fine." Robin mumbled, only now remembering that the finger had being dislocated at all.

It didn't hurt, that was surprising. Robin expected something more, like not being able to use the hand for a couple of weeks or something. He couldn't help but wonder if Slade had done any _miracle healing_ for his hand while he slept. In the end, he didn't really want to know. So he kept his mouth shut.

"Is it now?" Slade asked, switching to taking care of his hands now, the only remaining part of his body still needing care. "No aches or pains?"

Robin hissed as the disinfecting liquid made the wounds on his hands sting. Gritting his teeth together, he bore with the pain and saw that there was some blood on the cloth Slade used. So he had slight bruising on his hands, so what? Robin started to get a little frustrated with all this. Besides, all his previous wounds so far had healed surprisingly well, so why worry over these scratches. Besides, they _were_ only scratches.

"The hand is fine, Slade. There is no pain."

Robin tried to hide his slightly pained look, trying to look as neutral as possible. At the same time he squeezed his hand into a fist and then relaxed it, admitting that it didn't hurt at all. With a nod and one last brush, Slade stood up and instructed Robin to dress and to get ready for dinner. Robin mumbled some slight protests, but quickly caught up with Slade seeing as he had decided to go preempt.

"There will be some dinner ready for us. I have assigned Slade-bots to prepare us breakfast, lunch, and dinner from now on."

Robin just nodded at this, trying not to brush his legs together because it would make the laceration hurt. Therefore, he concentrated on walking. Every other wound wasn't hurting and he knew they'd all be healed by tomorrow.

After Slade and Robin had walked in silence for some time, Robin was a little unnerved by the silence. He decided to say something.

"So…what will I do after dinner? I think I'm way too perky to go to sleep."

Slade laughed at this, turning to face the teen.

"Good, because I think you sleep too much."

Robin couldn't help but blush and turn his face away, making Slade laugh even more. To Robin's relief they had reached kitchen, where a Slade-bot was waiting with delicious smelling food placed on the table on the either side.

When Slade instructed the robot to leave, Robin couldn't help but think. '_This reminds me of some kind of romance movie Starfire used to watch; there were a table for two, candles, a waiter with a black suit and the two lovers would…'_

Stopping himself right on time, Robin decided not to push the matter and sat at the table, starting to eat so he could distract himself from those disturbing thoughts. Slade looked at Robin slightly amused, which the teen couldn't see no thanks to the mask. He sat down opposite the teen. Picking up a fork and knife, Slade opened up the conversation.

"But to answer your question; I think you can do as you wish." Robin swallowed a mouthful of food and looked questioningly at Slade. He could just do what he pleased? What was the man up to? "Don't expect it to happen again however. I have some things to take care and since I have no time to babysit you, I'm sure you can manage to entertain yourself for a couple of hours at least."

Robin laid his utensils down and looked questioningly at Slade, only then noticing that if the man actually would eat, he'd have to take the mask _off_. Grinning to himself, Robin stared at the man, waiting for something. But he then noticed that he would get caught rather fast if he didn't go along with their little conversation.

"Like what things?"

Slade just shrugged and placed the utensils on the plate neatly.

"Paper work mostly. I have to plan ahead, fill out some files, restock, and get prepared for the future."

Robin placed his elbows to the table, receiving a stare-like gesture from Slade, making him take his elbows off the table, placing his hands on his lap instead.

"Oh. So what can I do?"

Slade leaned in, making it look like the man was grinning and about to say something really sarcastic. The mask really annoyed Robin. Did the man actually have to wear that thing everywhere?

"Take a shower, you stink."

Robin could almost feel the smoke coming from his ears, but he fought to keep his cool.

"Haha," he said sarcastically. "But really, can't I train on your survival course?"

"Not tonight. I'm sure you'll find something better, more entertaining, _safer_ things to do. For example, you can go to the gym or you can try to meditate. You'll find something. If you still lack activity after two hours, you may come see me."

"Okay," Robin answered dully, staring at Slade still, waiting for the other man to reveal his face.

They both stared at each other for a while, but they both turned then to grasp their utensils again, Robin stuffing some food in his mouth, staring at the older man solemnly. Slade soon got annoyed by Robin's constant staring and decided to bring it up.

"What are you waiting for boy? Me to stuff the food in my mask thorough the slits?"

'_Not exactly, but it would be nice if you'd remove the mask.'_ Slade sighed as he reached for it, Robin almost forgetting to breathe. '_It can't be; he's really taking it off!'_

Robin's eyes were wide as baseballs and he had to fight the urge to hang his mouth open as well. With a slow gesture, Slade removed the mask and started eating. Robin suddenly looked like he'd been hit by lightning. This time he couldn't hold in the urge and his jaw dropped. '_This can't be!'_

Slade swallowed a spoonful and couldn't stop but literally laugh straight at Robin's face.

"Honestly boy, what were you expecting?"

'_Anything but this for one…'_

Slade laughed when Robin shook his head, still keeping that overly surprised look, but then resumed his eating. Robin on the other hand was furious. He couldn't _believe_ it! He had gotten his hopes up for what! For another mask! Robin felt like screaming inside his head. He felt like he could pull his hair off.

Slade had another mask which was like a cloth. It hid his face and there were only slight slits for his mouth and eye, but there was nothing else to see from the black and orange fabric. At least he could shape some figures of Slade's face now. For example, he noticed that the man didn't have a flat nose because of the metal mask, but a sharp and straight one instead. The other thing he could see was his lips. Rough, somewhat thin, lips, which Robin found to be fascinating as Slade ate.

Shaking himself back to Earth, Robin started to eat, trying to stop thinking about Slade.

'_He is Slade! One can't just stare at the man! Besides, you shouldn't even be looking at him! You have let yourself get way too close. That is not good. You need to stop; __**now**__.'_

Robin was quick to finish. He gulped down his full glass of water and then stood up, informing Slade that he would be in the gym before he fled the scene. Robin shouldn't have been paying any mind to him. What would his friends say; what would they think?! The teen hero was slightly disturbed by the thoughts of his friends. He knew they would demand an explanation for his absence. What should he tell them? What if they were worried? Or even worse, what if they found him _before_ he came back from Slade's one week trial? What would they think? They'd probably feel betrayed, cheated, and abandoned. One thing was sure; they would not be happy.

Robin soon reached the gym and started lifting some weights, hitting the bag, do anything he could to distract his mind. He could help but note that he needed to distract himself a lot more than usual. What was going on with him? Why was he even letting this happen in the first place? He should have been going against Slade, not letting anything happen that already had; not wanting to train in _Slade's_ steeplechase; shouldn't be cooperating so willingly. He shouldn't be doing _any_ of this!

Robin started to kick the bag now, trying to blow off as much steam as he could. He was rampaging on the gym, hitting bags and kicking targets for half an hour until he had finally gotten himself under control. It really did feel good to let it all out by beating the hell out of those punching bags.

Panting heavily, Robin fell backwards to sit on one of the cushioned chairs in the corner of the room, originally designed for something else, but he didn't care. Trying to steady his breathing, he laid on his back to rest and felt something uncomfortable against his back. Robin reached for it to pull it out and throw it away, but when he saw what it was, he decided otherwise. It was a book about different kinds of exercises and flexing. It also listed some kind of activities. Why and how it had ended up in Slade's hands, Robin didn't know. He did know that it hadn't been used much. It was made years ago, seemingly bought when it was new and there were barely any flaws except a few pages that showed some aging.

When curiosity got the better of him, Robin started to read through it, somehow managing to go through almost every unknown exercise or at least to get the basics of them. There were a lot of exercises he hadn't even heard of. There was also some that could be common, but he himself didn't do them very much. Oh well, at least the book inspired him to try them out.

And with that new found inspiration, Robin tried the new techniques, trying to get at least fifty of each done. One was showing him an unbelievable amount of trouble; a move where he had to hold himself up with his hands, like he would do with chin-ups, but instead he had to raise his legs straight up into the air to lift his body. Then he would have to move his body up and down without falling or slipping. Robin had barely reached thirty when he noticed that his hands were shaking and his hip hurt like hell, along with his back. At least he could feel the exercise working.

After at least of two hours of intense training, Robin felt rather proud of himself. He could almost tell how much strength was getting back to him, allowing him to keep going even further. Later, smiling widely and panting hard, Robin lay in the middle of the room, trying to catch his breath. The sweat was glistening all over his body and he could feel the sweat dripping. The cold air of the gym hit his hot and wet skin, making him shiver. The cold air was stinging his lungs, making breathing difficult. He could taste the saliva in his mouth and he needed to swallow every so often.

Robin slowly rose up from the floor, first rolling on his stomach, then pushing himself up with his hands, still panting hard, hair hanging around his face. He leaned against the wall to keep his balance, collected his breath some more, spat saliva onto the floor, and then slowly made his way to Slade's room, intending to take a long, hot, and relaxing shower.

Robin slowly crawled his way to the room, taking hold of the walls the whole way. When he was by the door, he remembered that it needed Slade's identification to open, so instead he decided to just knock. He waited calmly for Slade to open the door, which took about five-to-ten seconds, and then walked in the room, making his way straight to the shower.

"So, did you find anything to pass the time with?"

Slade's voice was heard from the other side of the wall, seeing that Robin had already made his way to the toilet and bathroom extension. He was already stripping his suit off. Robin had already gotten rid of the clothes and now took off his mask.

"You bet," he said with a raspy, slightly out of breath, voice.

Taking a deep breath, Robin turned on the showerhead and allowed the spray of water wash over him, washing the stinky sweat away and letting the muscles relax under the warm water. Smiling contently, the teen let his hands travel through his hair and caress his skin, washing away all the sweat and remaining dirt.

"Robin, I have one last thing I need to show you still tonight," Slade said from the other side of the wall. It was rather difficult to hear the man through the downpour of water.

Robin sighed, knowing he didn't actually have a choice in the matter. He stepped out from the shower once all soap and shampoo suds were down the drain. Shivering slightly from the cold, he cursed himself for not asking for a towel before he got in.

"Slade, I need a towel!" Robin yelled from the inside of the bathroom, getting the answer from the other man rather fast, now not having any problems hearing it.

"I think you should use your spare uniform too. I have a good feeling you have gotten it dirty already."

Robin looked at the bundle of fabric that was supposed to be his suit and he had to agree. It smelled, it was damp, and it had dirt all over it. Messy job this training.

"Sure."

"I will bring you a change of clothes and the towel in exchange for the dirty uniform," Slade said.

Robin carefully grabbed the suit off the floor, keeping it as far away from his body as not to get dirty all over again.

"Okay, here." Robin shoved it out the door, listening as Slade moved from the other side, taking them. "Can you hand over my other clothes?"

"Just take them, Robin."

Sighing, Robin stepped halfway out the door and grabbed the clothes before even thinking about how he had exposed himself to Slade. Noticing the steel of Slade's boot, he saw that he was pretty much _out and visible_. It was plain bad luck that he had been staring at the floor when he opened the door. What an idiot he was. Robin quickly stepped back into the bathroom, slamming the door closed right in front of the man's face, hiding his heat in the pile of new clothes and towel. It was one thing that Slade knew his identity, but it still didn't mean that the boy should let him see him. He could only wish Slade didn't see anything.

Smiling under his mask, Slade hadn't seen anything _that_ private. The boy had just stepped out the door, exposing his naked, wet skin, leaving only the slightest bit of imagination. The villain had seen Robin's chest, abs, his thin but slightly muscular arms and legs, his head pressed down to hide his face, and the damp hair that was dripping wet, laying flat against his skull. He could see the tiny droplets of water sliding along the boy's torso, dripping onto his floor. And what he loved to see the most was the waist and groin area of him, silently cursing the door for covering the most delicious parts of him.

Slade hadn't even seen his eyes; shame.

Meanwhile, Robin had decided to get dressed to prevent anything even more embarrassing from occurring. Last but not least, he placed the mask back in its proper place with the special glue that was lying on the sink counter. He finally looked himself in the mirror and decided to do completely nothing else than comb it. Once everything was in order, Robin took a final breath in before stepping out of his safe little place.

"Shall we go then?" Robin asked.

"Yes, follow me."

Slade led Robin out of the room, along the corridors and hallways to a room he had never been to before. It was odd to say the least. Maybe even a little bit creepy. Standing before them was a big control panel, one chair, and one huge window that showed a view to another room that had absolutely nothing in it. Both sets of walls and floors were white and made of some kind of steel-like material that almost reflected everything in grayish tones. There was also one, big gray iron door with a security lock on it from which you could get to the other room, Robin assumed. Slade walked to the door, unlocking the lock, and opening it.

"Do go inside," Slade said with little to no room to argue.

Robin had his worries about the place.

"Why? What's in there?"

Slade kept his cool, showing Robin the inside.

"As you can see, there is nothing in there and the reason why…well you'll find out soon enough. I assure you its safe and that we can still talk over the microphones that are inside."

Robin didn't really trust the man at all and, to say the least, he didn't want anything to do with that room. It was like one of those cells in Arkham, expect the walls weren't cushioned. What was Slade up to? Had he suddenly decided to lock him in and treat him like a guinea pig?

When Slade was about to tell Robin again, Robin decided, with all the courage he could muster, to step in, not wanting to be the object of the man's wrath. After he was in, the door was shut behind him with a bang. He looked at the window nervously, which now only showed his own reflection.

'_Oh how I hate small, closed spaces.'_

"So, Robin, do you know what this room is and what it is for?" Slade's voice asked from all around him.

Shaking his head, Slade told him that it was a room to create fake 3-D surroundings that looked, felt, smelled, and sounded real. They were as real as Titans Tower, but they weren't actually there.

"So what am I going to do in here exactly?" Robin asked, feeling slightly nervous.

Slade could have _anything_ happen in the room.

"To train of course."

Robin could feel the rock rolling off his shoulder. So it couldn't be anything that bad. Besides, somehow it started to sound even slightly exciting and cool now; it _could_ be anything. Robin felt a wave of relief wash over him and he just had to joke about it.

"I've started to wonder why you haven't tried anything drastic yet. I mean, like, trying to torment or brainwash me? Instead you seem to make me train myself to death."

Slade just hummed at him before offering his opinion.

"The best and most clever solution is to take care of your physical flaws first then proceed to the mental ones."

Robin smiled at this. Slade was trying to cover himself up, but he was caught now.

"So in other words you gave up?"

"No, this is merely a change in tactic," Slade said in the matter of fact kind of way. The walls suddenly started to change around Robin. The panels on the walls were twitching and he could see small pieces of scenarios swirling in them. "What do you think would be the best training for you? Maybe we should start easy, probably from the beginning of the one-to-ten scale so in the future you'll know what to expect."

The scenes were changing around Robin, from day to night, from rainy to hot and dry, from city to a field full of flowers, until it set out to be what apparently seemed to be one of Jump City's streets. He could feel a light wind and there were even some people who seemed to only be passing by. All the details were unbelievably perfect. The place seemed to be an exact replica. Just to quench his curiosity, Robin walked down the street, looking around him.

It was awesome how the room worked. He had walked quite a distance now and there were still no walls that would limit his journey. How it was possible, he didn't know. Robin tried to get used to the thought of actually being in a small room, not on a huge street, but he seemed to be failing miserably. Everything was so real. He could _smell_ how one man was selling fresh hot dogs on the other side of the street. He could _feel_ how a salesman accidentally bumped into him, turning around to apologize in a hurry. He had actually _heard_ that. But that just told him that this wasn't real. Salesman would _never_ turn around to apologize, no matter how much in a hurry they were in.

"This is wicked awesome," Robin mumbled quietly, not meaning to say it to anyone, mostly to himself; only Slade seemed to answer him anyway.

"I know."

"So what am I supposed to do in here?" Robin asked in awe, looking at his surroundings.

He could see a blue mailbox, a small cafe, street lamps, and posters attached to a brick wall. He could even feel the cobblestone road under his feet. It was all so _real_.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure," Slade replied. "I can only give you hints about the room's contents by the keywords I have inserted as the basic data. Otherwise the room will create a scenery of its own, even altering it if necessary."

"Wow," was the only word Robin could say as an answer. It all seemed so overwhelming, so _unreal_. "I so want to train in this room in the future."

"Don't worry, you _will_."

Right then, a loud explosion was heard coming from the nearby street and Robin could see Rancid coming from the smoke, driving towards him fast on a motorcycle, yelling loud for the fun of it.

"Don't kid me, this is easy!" Robin yelled, reaching for his bo staff, only to notice that he had none.

Robin quickly jumped aside as not to get hit by Rancid, wincing when the laceration on his thigh hurt as he stretched his leg to jump. He quickly recovered from it though. Running to the sidewalk, he tried looking for anything that he could use as a weapon.

Finally finding a long, thin, metal pole from a garbage can that he could use as a makeshift bo staff, Robin quickly snatched it up. He also found a two meter chain. Robin quickly had it around his torso and was ready to bash with his pole, running back to see Rancid coming from the nearby store with a bag of cash. He saw how Rancid jumped on his bike and started to drive towards him, yelling insults at the same time. When the biker was almost on him, Robin jumped to the side, this time more cautiously, and threw the pole on the wheels, blocking them completely. He sent Rancid flying. He crashed not too far away. Robin quickly ran to him, trapping him with the chains. Then suddenly, he saw how the city was slowly falling to pieces.

Staring shockingly around him, he saw the buildings collapse and everything around him disappeared until he only saw gray; he was back in the room. He had even forgotten he was in one to begin with. The door opened and Slade came in, instructing Robin to follow him back to his room.

"Remember Robin, this is only to let you know what you are going to see in the future. It will get much harder."

"I'm looking forward to that," Robin said, sounding a little bit tired.

He had the right to; the teen had been training the whole day, had wounds all over him, and even experiencing the joys of the simulator made him feel like he was ready to go to bed. Once again, Robin found himself soundly asleep in Slade's bed, resting and healing. The day hadn't been so bad, even if he had to share it with Slade.


	7. Chapter 7

When Robin woke up in the morning, he felt like he hadn't slept at all. It felt like it was pretty early in the morning, but he couldn't really tell. The room had no windows or clocks. It felt awkward to spread his arm out so that he could reach a nonexistent alarm clock to check the time, but after swinging it aimlessly over the nightstand, even Robin had to give up the hopes of finding one. Sighing, he forced himself in a sitting position, curling up in the covers to hide from the chill. The room was dark and shady and the only light was a dim, disoriented light that shone from the screen of the monitor. The room was completely silent except for the silent hum of the computer.

Robin moved his eyes to take a better look of the room. A small punch of loneliness hit him. He was once again in Slade's room with no Slade around and certainly with no friends around. Robin was missing them. Living with Slade was so far _not_ so fun. He was, however, slightly surprised that when living under the same roof with Slade, it hadn't been that bad so far. It was certainly not something Robin would have expected. He thought, that once Slade had him, he would take him by force and bend him to be his apprentice, not afraid to use even the most fatal kind of way to achieve that goal. But so far it was nothing like it. Yeah, Slade had made a schedule for him and he demanded that he do his best and even better, but that was part of the deal. The villain was like a coach, nothing that Robin had prepared for, and this made him nervous. Slade never acted without a plan and he certainly wouldn't act this half-assed about anything. This just had to be a plan, which would explain Slade's (false?) act of 'you-are-free-to-go-after-a-week' thing.

All this thinking made Robin feel confused. He just hoped he could be with his friends once the deal was done. It was weird; the more civilized Slade acted, the more confusing and difficult it became. During his entire spare time, Robin had wasted on thinking about Slade or his friends. He felt really pathetic when the best conclusion about Slade and his plans were that he just simply had skipped the bending part and was now treating him as an apprentice candidate, who would join him any minute. But that just didn't match. Slade would not be that stupid.

Sighing, Robin let go of the matter and decided to let all the thinking and plotting go, deciding to come back to it later, when he had more abiding proof. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and flinched slightly as his toes met the ice cold floor. He ignored the chill however. Robin sluggishly rubbed his eyes and, after getting used to the dark, he noticed that his clothes were set on the far end of the nightstand, folded up nicely, placed far enough so he couldn't even _accidentally_ swing them on the floor.

'_Must be a Slade-bot's work.'_

Secretly feeling thankful, Robin took the clean clothes and started to dress. Feeling the fabric against his cold skin felt remotely nice, but he didn't want to acknowledge that. Robin then started to stretch out of a habit. He then remembered that it was on his schedule anyway, so he took more of that into account. The stretches really came in handy; his muscles were really stiff from yesterday. Well what else did he expect? First he slept a couple of days almost nonstop, then took a sudden start to train again and…yeah, no wonder he was stiff.

After finishing his stretches, Robin walked around the room, shaking his legs after every step to get the blood going. Walking around the room was a good stimulus and Robin could feel the tiredness slowly drifting away, leaving more space for some actual thinking and observing. Soon he checked every table and surface for a hidden note from Slade, but found none this time. It was like he allowed him to be on his own.

Taking in the fact that he was on his own for a change, Robin let his curiosity get the better of him. He slowly made his way to Slade's computer, almost holding his breath from excitement. What if the villain left some really important files open? With his glove-covered hands, he tugged the mouse to turn the screen saver off. Since it was an old box alike monitor, it took a couple of seconds for the screen to adjust.

'_Slade really should get a new computer down here.'_ When the screen was finally clear enough to view, he noted that it was pretty much in use. Slade had left three files and one internet explorer window open. _'__Yep, totally a trap.'_ Robin held his breath as he shorted out his plan. He could see what Slade had been up to, hopefully answering a lot of questions. Or maybe it was a trap or a test. A test of loyalty or trust perhaps? Maybe he would search the whole computer to see _anything_ that Slade would have been doing on it. _'__The last option it is, consequences be damned! There's way too many juicy opportunities here. And who knows what kind of dirty things he has saved up on here.'_

Shaking his head to get the dirty thoughts out and the more sober thoughts in, Robin tried to relax so that he didn't make any stupid mistakes while _innocently_ taking his share of Slade's business. Feeling calm enough, he decided to take a look at the open web page first.

**Harm Caused in a Science Research Lab on a Farm Not Far from Jump City**

That was a screaming headline for a top article. There was a picture of a shredded building and lot of bemoans after the lab thing. The journalist had talked about the farm, a little about the science group and their goals, and the rest was the bemoan of the animals, the farm, and the failed experiment. The article had several quotes from the researchers, who all seemed to be upset about the failed attempts at capturing a very fatal virus. There were even some complaints of meddling little know-it-alls. Namely, the Titans. Even the researcher seemed to think that Slade should be captured and put to an end and they hoped that in the near future, someone would take the lead and clean the world from the villains. That was a two page article in a nutshell.

So what did it mean? Slade had suddenly become an anti-animal cruelty activist, but didn't care about human cruelty? Not very likely. And what exactly was the experiment of theirs? Test a virus? Create an anti-virus? Was the goal to make something that cured or that would kill? The only thing mentioned was that it was supposed to affect the human immune system, but no one mentioned how.

Observing the page one last time, Robin then checked if there was a possibility to browse the previous page. He smiled widely when there was. Clicking the back button, he found out that the last page was about the very same topic. Even the one previous from that and the next one and the next… They were all about the same farm. What was it with this farm anyway. Slade really seemed to have something against that organization. Maybe this was the "clan" Slade mentioned when Robin woke up from nausea.

'_Yep, it has to be that. What else could it possibly be?'_ Feeling slightly happy at Slade's misfortune to find any real leads according to the science researchers, Robin clicked his way back to the page that had been when he first got to the computer. _'Next, the open files.'_

The first file was about the very same "clan" but these were Slade's own notes about the matter. The text was pretty much the same as the one he already knew, but there was also a small note that they would soon be expanding, having some more material transported via trucks and ships. The new base was supposed to be the headquarters located in Jump. Robin absorbed the information quickly, knowing a lot more about the details: The clan also had headquarters in Metropolis, Gotham, Keystone City, New York, and a few all over the world. It may not have been much useful information, but to say the least, Robin thought that he had gotten enough on the subject. He then moved on to the next file.

This next file was tricky. Robin didn't really know if he should be happy, mad, or even slightly mortified as he found that the subject of the entire thing was of him. Every detail was there. He felt something heavy move in his stomach, making him feel exposed. There was a horrible amount of pages about him, his everyday routines, his friends and activities, his physical shape, and his mental and physical capabilities. It had _everything_.

Gulping down a lump that had risen in his throat, Robin tried to stay calm. But how could he when the bastard had been observing-no _spying-_on him? Or it looked like Slade was _obsessed_ about him. The villain even knew the times he usually used the bathroom! Even his favorite food and color was listed. Every little detail was there. Everything from small habits to usual beliefs (Robin did _not_ rub imaginary dust off his shoulder when he was uncertain!).

Feeling anger building inside him as he looked at the file, Robin fought the urge to erase everything that was written there. He couldn't do that though. He couldn't get caught. Hell he shouldn't have been looking at the computer in the first place. Trying to control his anger, Robin clicked the file down, then quickly checked the last one (the inventory that Slade told him about yesterday). He left the computer, hoping that the screen saver would come back before Slade did.

Stomping angrily out of the room while looking at the floor, Robin sighed and made his way toward the training area. He was rudely knocked down onto the floor about half way there. Since he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings, he collided with Slade's broad chest. Robin hit the floor rather hard and he could hear his spine crack. Ignoring it, he glared up at the man.

"Has the wind changed? Why so jumpy all of a sudden?" Slade asked mockingly, pulling Robin up by the neck, not minding him when he winced in slight pain that lasted for about two seconds. "Mind to enlighten me as to why you're so clouded up this morning?"

"No," was Robin's strict answer, which left no room for any kind of persuasion. "Where were you anyway?"

"Missed me already? To be honest, I was refilling the stock, and I must say that I didn't expect you to wake up before I was back," Slade said as he stared at Robin disapprovingly. He probably would have preferred if he stayed in the room and not go wandering off on his own, but he ignored it for now, pushing the matter for later day. "But now that you are here, we'll tend to some more important business and start with today's training."

Slade guided Robin to the training room to take his course. They were soon standing in the middle of the giant room and, after they both completed their warm-ups, Slade had called over some Slade-bot's to bring some targets. They were some regular paper targets, shaped like a man, showing fatal spots to aim for; head, heart, and so on.

"Today, Robin, I will teach you to shoot. I know you have never shot anything before, and I think it's high time for you to learn this. And no, that grapple of yours doesn't count. I'm referring to real weapons. I have a pistol, silenced Uzi, a machine gun, shotgun, rifle, sniper, rocket launcher, and a bazooka for you to try. This lesson's point is for you to have a feel for guns, and hopefully, identify the best one for you. I want you to take note on the many aspects of a gun. The sound; assassins have to have a weapon that won't make much noise to avoid bringing attention to themselves. Also focus on how easy or fast it is to load and how many bullets it can contain at the same time. The weight; I do not suggest anything heavier than you can run with. Also note which of them is more comfortable and how hard the kickback is after the shot. And don't forget to think on which would be more useful and practical in use."

Slade continued his little lecture about guns, how to use them, where the parts were located, and, before he was even allowed to shoot, he had to learn to take it completely apart and then to put it back together. That part wasn't hard. Robin knew how to do it. He didn't really think he'd be that bad of a shooter, but the fact of the matter was that he just didn't like the act of killing. He didn't have anything against guns really, but he didn't like what people did with them. Robin could never actually kill anyone; he was still under oath after all.

Finally, after going through all the theory lessons, Robin was allowed to try shooting the targets. Slade had put the guns in a line on a table, not far away from him. The mission was to shoot at least five strikes with each gun. After the rounds had been fired, he was to decide which gun was the one he would prefer to use in the future. He would need to use them all, Slade had said, but the one he would choose as the best one, would be the one he would be using the most.

Robin was now wearing earplugs and was somewhat happy that he didn't have to use any eye protectors, seeing as his mask was protection enough. It felt weird to be up and ready to shoot. Feeling slightly nervous of the idea of having to use a gun at all, out of habit, his right hand began to brush off imaginary dust. Once he noticed it, he tried to stop the act with semi-disgust, but thought otherwise. Robin hoped Slade had not seen his hand stop momentarily or he would get caught for spying on his computer.

'_Well that's not good.'_

Sighing miserably, Robin took the first gun, the pistol, took a firm stand, and aimed. The gun felt heavy and cold against his skin and he could feel his hands become clammy against it. Then, taking one last relaxing breath before closing his other eye to take better aim, Robin shot at the target. The pistol did not kickback that badly and the noise wasn't that bad either. The size was good, was easy to hide and move around, and wouldn't get in the way.

"Robin, misses don't count. You still have five strikes," Slade informed from behind, standing out of his range if anything went wrong.

Somehow after that first and most unnerving shot had passed, Robin felt himself relaxing. His hand didn't even shake that badly anymore. Taking a better hold on the gun handle and ignoring the slight dampness of his palm, he closed his eye again and, taking a slightly sturdier and wider footing, Robin prepared to shoot a second shot. With the barrel aimed slightly too much toward the upper left, he moved it in its proper position and then pulled the trigger. The bang was heard again. This time, Robin hit the target right between the eyes.

"Good job, Robin. Maybe it's true when they say you learn fast," Slade said.

Robin could only nod and grin at this, even if the later gesture went unnoticed to the man behind him. Shooting targets wasn't that bad. It was rather…distracting, as one would say. When he aimed, he had to clear his head from every distraction and concentrate on the task at hand. Seeing the bullet hit the target made him feel really proud. It made him feel like he was good at something and being told so felt good too. Batman had hardly ever praised him and so far being praised wasn't so bad, even if it was for shooting. Smiling again, this time truly, he took a new aim. He could now feel all of his anxiety flying away with every bullet.

Taking aim again, Robin shot four in a row, having one worry leave him during each shot.

_BANG!_ There went Slade and his stupid files. At least now he could add something significant to it; Robin could shoot pretty well. _BANG!_ At this moment, he had no longing to be around his friends; he would meet them again when the time came. _BANG!_ Now he didn't have to worry about tomorrow or the upcoming week or Slade. He could just shoot without a care in the world. _BANG!_ It was actually nice to see the head of the target fall almost completely off. This way no one could see where the targets' middle point was.

Blowing off the smoke that was oozing from the gun just for the show, Robin switched his weapon as the robot switched the target. Shooting targets was rather entertaining. It was fun to see the differences of the guns in terms of sound and power. The Sniper made a nice hole at the exact place where you aimed whereas the shotgun almost blew the entire head off. The kickback was so strong that it felt like Robin's shoulder would call it quits. The silenced Uzi was boring; it didn't have much of a noise and the damage it made wasn't that special. He preferred the normal pistol way better. The rocket launcher and bazooka were way out of scale with the others and he could almost feel the damage where he stood, even if the target was far away. Not to mention the force of the shot and the noise wasn't something he preferred.

Once Robin was finally done with all of the guns, Slade approached him, clapping his hands a couple of times.

"Bravo. You will make a good shooter, but I must disappoint you by saying that I think we'll stick with the more compact ones," Slade said. "But tell me, which one do you prefer the most?" Ignoring the sarcasm, Robin told him that he liked the sniper the best, but that it was good to have a pistol with him just in case. It may be small, but it was handy. Nodding approvingly, Slade had the bots clean the area and take the guns away. "I will let you rest for a while. In the evening, I'll see you in the kitchen. I have another kind of training for you after dinner. You may eat lunch and rest your hands while you wait. But take this as a warning; I believe you'll need to collect your thoughts and strength, or you'll be wishing to shoot something much more _lively_ by the end of the day."

Slade sounded really malicious by the end of his sentence. He knew that whatever it was that Robin had to face later would not be anything he could face with a big smile.

"I will see you later this evening then," Slade said before disappearing around the corner to go somewhere.

Robin, on the other hand, was left speechless in the middle of the training room, his hands shaking from the numerous gun shots and kickbacks and having to hold the bazooka. The day had started out weird, ended up nice, but somehow he got the feeling that a negative change would be coming pretty fast. Squeezing his hands into fists to prevent them from shaking, he went to the kitchen to have a well deserved meal.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Sorry that this chapter is late! My beta's computer crashed, and no matter how hard she tried to get it fixed, she had to get a new one in the end. BTW, I first planned to write a longer (20k words) chapter, but I decided to cut it in half, and post as 2 separate chapters. I'm sorry, and plea with my earnest apology that you are still reading this, and are not too mad at the long wait. anyways, on with the story.

He felt the nervousness take over him as Robin tried to think what Slade possibly had in mind. He had absolutely no idea, but he could bet that it wouldn't be anything good. He knew that whatever it would be would, in no way, be something he'd look forward to. Or that's what he thought when he heard the tone in Slade's voice. It was as if the man was mocking him, sounding as if he knew something the other didn't and that made Robin furious. And besides, knowing Slade, it wouldn't be anything good, even if he tried to pride the boy. Slade always had something hidden underneath everything. It was as if the man couldn't think without having second thoughts or meanings for his actions. It unnerved and confused Robin.

Robin had decided to take a fast trip to the gym instead of going straight to the kitchen. He did his very best to release some of that pent up frustration. The teen had tried to distract himself from his thoughts by training there, hitting the bag and doing push-ups and sit-ups. He had already broken a sweat. Once he had finally completed the whole list of different exercises that Slade had prepared for him, he went to the kitchen, planning to have his dinner now. Robin didn't care to take a shower now because he did not desire the thought of going to Slade's shower to take one. Besides, Slade probably had something nasty in his mind anyway, so why even bother? Oh how he would come to regret that decision later.

When Robin entered the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Slade's robot wandering around, but it soon disappeared as it went through a door at the far end of the room. Robin himself had never gone there, but he thought that it was probably the place where the bots prepared the food or something. After Robin shrugged his shoulders as he decided he was more hungry than interested, he sat in the chair, inhaling the sweet aroma of potatoes, some steak cuts, brown sauce, and some vegetables. He didn't like the vegetables that much and one could tell so by the look he gave his plate. Vegetables were disgusting, in taste and texture. Some of them he could eat, for example, broccoli was in fact rather tasty, but corn, peas, carrot, and tomatoes were disgusting. Robin almost wanted to push those disgusting multicolored plants off his plate and under the table, but he was brought up better. Bruce had made himself very clear when he stated that food was not something to play with and you should eat anything and everything on your plate. The only excuse from eating them would be that you were allergic and sadly, Robin was not; to anything.

Swallowing down his pride, Robin started from the vegetables, so he could then flush the taste away with potatoes and steak, which were much tastier than some stupid green peas. Without even chewing, Robin swallowed them down as fast as possible without having to even taste them. Damn Slade and his healthy life style. Well, healthy on the matter of food. The plate was a perfect image of what one's plate should look like if they were trying to eat as healthy as possible; half-a-plate full of vegetables and a salad (well salad was fine, but vegetables?) then a small portion of potatoes and the rest was steak and sauce. Not that living with Slade was bad enough, but he had to eat healthy now too? What was wrong with pizza? It had olives, pineapple, and tomatoes; they were vegetables and, hell, fruit.

Robin soon finished his plateful and drank a full glass of milk before taking his leave to look for Slade, as he had promised. He didn't know where he should start looking. Slade had said that they'd meet after dinner, but so far he'd seen no sign of him. While walking around the hideout, looking for Slade, he paid attention for a suitable escape route. As he walked, he got more nervous with every step he took. Robin's mind kept racing, alternating from a nice surprise to horrible shock. Maybe the man wanted to test his new found shooting skills and make him kill animals or people? He couldn't be that cruel, could he?

Okay, yes he could. That formed a heavy lump in Robin's throat, almost making him want to hide and hope that Slade wouldn't find him until tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, he'd forget the whole thing. But there was no such luck. When Robin decided to just forget finding Slade and instead try to find a place to hide-no, not hide. He wasn't a coward. He would just find a place where he could strategize his next move, that was more like it. But as he turned on his heels, he walked right into Slade. Did Robin have the best of luck or what?

"Well there you are. Hopefully all ready and excited, I bet," Slade said, gripping his arm painfully as he shoved him around to keep walking.

Robin did not dare ask where they were going. Well he would have dared, but he wasn't so sure if he wanted to know. They already went past the point where Robin still knew the surroundings. Every corridor and turn looked the same and he was sure Slade had been trying to distract him by making them walk in circles, but what could he do about it? As long as he was down here with him, he'd play by his rules.

Robin felt nervous and heavy as Slade took him around another corner, leading him to a room. A small room, which Robin was glad that they were only walking through, because he didn't like to work in small spaces. Especially with Slade.

After they exited the small room, they reached a huge room, a hall in fact. It was filled with square shaped pipes that zigzagged, moved up and down, back and forth, up and down, and they even had turns. They divided to even more and more pipes and they seemed to fill the space perfectly, only leaving small spaces between the pipes. Just the right size for Robin to crawl through. The pipes themselves were rather big. About half a meter by half a meter or even smaller. Robin couldn't really tell.

This would be easy. If his mission was to reach the other end of the hall, he could do that blindfolded and with his hands tied behind his back! Robin felt a smile spread across his face. What had he been afraid of? He had been so nervous for this? Ha, this had to be a joke right? What a maroon he was.

"So your mission is to reach the other end of the room. There is a full glass of water with ice cubes there as your reward," Slade said with a smug voice, probably thinking that the water would be the perfect prize.

"I can do that," Robin said, his voice full of self confidence, almost even slight happiness, because he really had thought about something much worse.

"I hope you can at least try," Slade said, making Robin's mood falter slightly. Somehow he got the feeling that this was not all. "But just to be fair, I'll give you a flashlight, map, and a compass so it'll be easier for you to get to your destination. But after this, you will not be rewarded with such petty things."

Slade had successfully confused Robin without even knowing it. A flashlight? For what? The room was perfectly lit and he could get there just fine without a map or a compass. Robin could even see the destination with his eyes if he really took a look. He was about to tell Slade about it, but decided to keep his mouth shut. When one was offering him something, he shouldn't turn it down. If he said they'd be useful, they probably would.

"My robots managed to find these not long ago and they only now managed to fix them up. They are not cleaned though, just to keep the thing more realistic," Slade further explained, looking around the maze he had built. "So remember, in the future, you'll come to these kinds of situations, but then you'll have to survive without help and without the use of your given equipment." The villain handed Robin his supplies while getting more confused every passing second. Maybe Slade had built traps along the pipe maze? "So, do you think you are ready?"

Slade leaned back on one of the pipe structures, the one that was jutting away from the others and the only one that had a "beginning". The others just seemed to split from there.

"I think so," Robin said, trying to hide his slightly lowered confidence.

"Good, so in you go then," Slade said, opening the vent cover.

It revealed a small opening, where inside he could only see darkness, an endless amount of small, depressing space, and where one didn't even have enough space to crawl around. Even turning around would be impossible.

"What? You mean in there? No fucking way," Robin said with shock.

He was claustrophobic for God sakes! He was not going in there! No fucking way!

"Language boy," Slade warned. "Now as I said, get in there. This is perfect training for you. Something to scare you out of your fear of small spaces and something to train you to travel in air vents. Two birds with one stone."

"You got to be kidding me…" Robin mumbled.

He couldn't believe Slade even considered the idea of sending him in there. It was a death trap!

"Oh, I forgot to tell, there is about two or three miles worth of these vents, so I suggest that you get started so you can get to sleep today. Don't get lost."

"I'm not going."

"You either go in there or you'll cry when I force you in there. So which is it going to be?"

"You are evil!"

"I have heard them say such a thing, so maybe. But now, get in the vents."

"Never!" Robin was about to have a fight about this, but the look Slade gave him told him one and only one thing exactly: you nor your friends, will see another sunrise if you don't get your ass in the vents this instant. How can a person with only one eye manage such a scary look? Suddenly being scolded by an angry Bruce in the middle of the night on the rooftops seemed like a picnic with care bears and Robin seriously considered his choices.

Finally, Robin lifted his head, and said, "I'm not going."

The answer he got was a painful grab to his wrist and Slade cruelly throwing him head first into the black, endless, small space. Robin was about to crawl his way out of the hell hole, but Slade shut the opening, the smallest trace of light disappearing from within, leaving him in complete darkness. Robin could feel the whole place crash around him. He was sure that every second the walls were getting closer and the air was running away. He wanted to get out, to push on the walls, and make them go away. He tried to thrash around, but nothing remarkable happened. All he could see was still pitch black darkness, he still couldn't move much, and he felt how his air was being sucked away. When his attempts were futile, Robin tried to do the smartest thing in this situation.

'_First, try to breath, breath, get air…no, no hyperventilating! Take it easy, relax, concentrate.'_

Robin now wished he could change his position. He had tried to turn, but that was impossible. Thrashing and rising on his knees and elbows wasn't working because the space was too small. Lastly he tried to curl up in a defensive ball, but he could not bring his knees to his chest. The walls were too close, pinning him down.

Robin was really scared. The walls were closing in on him. He could almost hear and feel the walls tighten around him; squeezing him; making his lungs implode. He would give everything he had for a lungful of air and to get the hell out of there. His mind was racing, his lungs were burning, his heart was pounding against his chest, and he could feel the adrenaline fill his veins as he panicked. This was it. This was how he was going to die. Stuck in an air vent, suffocating to death. He no longer saw the darkness, but a light so bright that he was sure it was caused by the lack of oxygen, that his brain was telling him that this was it, that he was seeing the light. He was really going to die. His mind was racing a thousands miles a second and he started to replay his life. Everyone knew that when you were going to die, you saw your life go past your eyes like film tape.

He saw himself as a young boy at a circus, training in acrobatics with his parents. He also saw his dad raise him on his shoulder, having him ride on him, playing like he was an airplane. He saw how the flexible woman was practicing her stunt, having herself bend to an almost inhuman position. She was so flexible, she even managed to squeeze herself into a tiny box. Richard was sure that even he could not fit in there even if he was way smaller than the woman. The young boy admired her flexibility and wanted to be just like her when he grew up. If he could combine flexibility to acrobatics, he could become almost inhuman, imagine what one could do then! He could be like Superman! He did not have any super powers, but being flexible and aerobatic would compensate. His parents had thought it was great and they allowed him to watch the flexible woman train. Sometimes they even joked about it: if Richard didn't go to sleep by ten, they'd lock him in a crate. He had only laughed about it then.

One day, Richard had once again been watching her train, but when she went out to town with her boyfriend, he decided to train a little on his own. In her caravan she had many different sized crates and poles, even some books about the exercises. Richard did not much care about the books. He liked to learn by trying things out himself. Because he didn't want to accidentally destroy anything by falling from a pole (he was not supposed to get caught), he decided to try fitting himself in one of the crates. He had seen the flexible woman do the trick so many times that he knew exactly how he needed to bend his body and legs to fit in the box. He had chosen the smallest he knew he would fit in and, once he had the lid shut, felt proud of himself.

His parents should see him, but he couldn't get out of the crate. If he did, he would have to go in again. It had taken him some time to get in in the first place. Richard soon heard voices from the outside of the box and he came up with a plan. When they were close enough he would open the lid and surprise them. Richard was sure that they'd be astonished, laugh, and then congratulate him. But once he tried opening the lid, he noticed that it was stuck. He felt a stern pull and the box was lifted from the ground. He suddenly felt unsteady as the box swung in the air. He started to feel sick after they had taken the box to who knows where. He had tried to yell to them to put the box down, but it muffled his cries. Soon Richard was getting really scared.

Once the box was finally put back on stern ground, Richard was starting to feel horribly distressed since the crate had been put upside down and he was now almost resting on his head. Time passed and he felt his joints ache. All kinds of resistance was futile. If he even tried to move, he'd just bring more weight on his already squashed neck. He had cried for so long that his eyes had started to burn and he was almost losing his mind in the dark place. He could not get out. He could not smell, hear, see, or even feel anything. He had already become numb from everything else expect the soreness of his muscles and joints. He could not even breath properly anymore because of the position he was in. He had screamed his throat sore and he was so tired that he couldn't move an inch. Soon the small boy was wishing that he would faint so he wouldn't be in that place ever again. He soon heard voices again.

The box was once again lifted, moved a meter or two, and then dropped down. The box even rolled some that Richard was now resting on his side, still feeling really uncomfortable. He would have tried to scream again, hoping that they would hear, but he couldn't find the strength in his body. He had no idea where the box had been dropped because it was now moving slightly, swaying. Maybe if he could move his limbs a little to make the box look like he was shuddering, the people outside would stop to look for it. Richard tried to struggle, but his muscles did not move. They were stiff and sore and they were numb and felt as if thousands of needles were pricking them. If he could, he would have cried.

Pretty soon he heard muffled voices outside: horrified, angry, worried voices. But he could not hear what people were saying. Soon he heard a rather loud _clonk_ and then a splash and he became fearfully aware. It was the sound of water. Water had just splashed somewhere against his crate and he was worried sick. Had he been thrown into the ocean? Is that the reason the box felt like it was rocking? Was he now floating on the waves?

With his last strength he could muster by the aid of panic, he screamed and struggled and couldn't help but panic further as he felt cold water get inside the box. Richard felt like it was only a matter of minutes before the box would be full of water and he would drown. He screamed, struggled, cried, trashed, did pretty much everything in his power to get out. But soon his strength was drained and he really felt like giving up for good. He then felt stomping. The crate vibrated along with them. His groggy mind was confused. Was he not in water after all? Then why did his box leak?

The box was soon lifted and then placed down on solid ground, this time lid up. He could hear a lock being opened and soon he saw dim rays of light come inside. He heard a loud horrified gasp. Soon, the only thing he could register was a lot of worried people, him being lifted from the box, but not being able to untangle himself from his position because his muscles were too stiff. Next he noted that he was pulled in a warm embrace by his crying mother who planted sweet kisses all over his head.

After that he had never gone anywhere near the boxes or any tight spaces again. But he did not give up on the thought of being flexible. After his parents had died, he was training with Bruce and he sluggishly remembered him teaching him how to handle one's emotions and fears. To master other people's fear, you had to master your own. Bruce had never been able to repel the fear from Robin, even if he had tried with all his might. He had told him step-by-step what to do, but during his distress Robin could not bring himself to obey any of the advice, only shut himself from everything.

Soon the scene of Bruce and him training changed to one where he was fighting alongside his friends against Slade. The villain had knocked him to the ground, pointing his bo staff at him, kicking him lightly in the ribs and urging him to rise up and try again. The fight was not over, not even near over, and the only thing Robin could register over the pain all over his body was Slade's deep voice that urged him to continue. That voice seemed to drill its way through Robin's thick skull and straight to his brain. With new energy, he lifted himself up and lunged for another attack.

Robin saw pieces from all around his life, from earlier moments to more recent ones, but soon he was back in the vent, not moving, not breathing, not doing anything. Soon the panic was filling up on him again, but he tried to hold himself. He was not a child anymore, he was mature! He tried to recall Bruce's training, tried to take deep and slow breaths, trying to avoid hyperventilation. He even closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but it did not seem to help. His mind was filled with images; images of tight spaces, of suffering, suffocating, and pain. He was about to start trashing again, but he heard someone call his name from the distance.

The voice was deep, manly, relaxed and it sounded so care free compared to Robin's wailing inside his head that he soon registered what was happening. Slade was calling for him. The other man was only repeating his name, but he was speaking to him nonetheless. Soon the pounding of blood in his ears was abating, he could hear his breathing, and he felt his heart pumping blood through his veins. Robin could now taste the coppery taste in his mouth that had gone there as he hyperventilated. He had also bitten his tongue without realizing it. His mouth felt like sandpaper and he tried to moisten it with his saliva to make it feel at least a little better.

"I bet you're tired. Just relax. Breathe. Close your eyes, think about your friends, and rest for a minute."

Robin could hear Slade's voice no matter how thick the layer of steel that separated them was. Somehow he found himself grab onto that voice as if his life depended on it. And as far as he knew, it did. Robin did everything the voice told him. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He let his burning forehead rest against the coldness of the vent walls, letting his body go completely lax, and focusing on his breathing. He could feel his mouth producing more saliva than he could swallow and some even dripped onto the bottom of the vent, forming a small puddle. He did not mind it. He was so tired that he felt like falling asleep in there. But Robin didn't. He did as the voice said and thought about his friends. He was sure that they would be really proud of him now. Or they should. They would probably cheer for him if they were here and that made Robin feel warm. They would never let him suffer alone and would cheer him on.

"So do you think you are ready? Now, open your eyes, but don't move yet. Just observe the darkness." Robin did as he was told and stared. He did not fear the dark and he couldn't even see the walls. If he tried, he could reassure himself that there were no walls, that they only existed in his head. The thought seemed somehow relaxing and the darkness felt rather soothing. Maybe this was not so impossible or scary after all. Maybe he had just overreacted. "Now get the flashlight, compass and map, and plan your route."

Robin did manage to crawl forward a little so he could avoid ruining the map in his drool puddle, trying to stay as low as possible to avoid hitting the roof and panicking. He then carefully unfolded the map in front of him, placing the compass on it. Finally, Robin picked up his flashlight and took his last calming breaths. He breathed in as much air as he could, closed his eyes, and turned on the light. He did not see anything because his eyes were still closed. So far nothing happened. Maybe he shouldn't open his eyes. Carefully peering through one, he took a small glimpse of the vent before closing it again. He had seen a vent that kept going on as far as he could make out with his flashlight. It wasn't really bright which in a way was an advantage in Robin's mind. The dim light was soothing. It did not make his mind jumpy or tense. Soon he opened both eyes and was surprised how easily he could handle it in the end. Slade seemed to have known what he was doing when he sent Robin in there. It was as if the man knew that he didn't have any real phobia for small places, just a small trauma that he had to overcome. Robin would never admit it to anyone, but he was slightly grateful for the man. Or maybe the reason for why he was able to do this was that after he started failing and yell for five minutes, Bruce would come and get him out. Now that he was with Slade, he had to cope. Slade wouldn't come and save him for some petty thing. Robin needed to learn to manage on his own. For real this time.

As Robin laid eyes on the map, he was only barely able to stop his jaw from dropping to the iron bottom of the vent. The man was not kidding when he said there was about two or three miles worth of vents. The map showed every twist and turn and Robin could see many loose ends on the map. He had better come up with the right route on the first try or else he would not be able to get out. That didn't sound good. Trying to swallow down his nervousness, Robin tried to find the easiest and shortest route to the other side of the room and was rather disappointed to find out that he needed to experience all kinds of twists and turns on his way.

'_Well better get started,'_ he thought.

Creeping through the vents was an interesting experience. Who was he kidding? Robin would give his weapons to whoever wanted them to never be in this experience ever again. The first few feet when he only had to go straight ahead wasn't so bad. One could easily creep through and on the way Robin had discovered an easy way to move.

Pushing himself forward with his elbows, knees, fingers, and toes was easy enough. It reminded him of the army exercise where you had to crawl under the barbed wire on your stomach. He hated how the compass and flashlight pushed against his body as he was almost lying on them though. Robin noted that having the flashlight's looped thread around his hand kept it near-by and available whenever he needed it. It wasn't in the way that much anyway. The compass he kept on his belt pocket pressed against his hip, making the spot ache, but he ignored it. The turns to the right and left were easy enough because he could use his hands to drag and pull himself forward. Then, when he came to his next crossing that led either up or down, Robin was puzzled. Why oh why did he need to take a turn down now? He couldn't go head first or he would snap his neck if he were to hit his head on the bottom. He did not have much room to turn and even if he could, that meant that he would need to go legs first from then on. He did not have much choice though. He could not risk himself busting his neck in here. How would Slade rescue him if he did? No, bad brain! Robin did _not_ need rescuing. Repeat: did not. He was not a damsel in distress. He was not helpless.

With the power fed by his stubbornness, Robin leaned in to the turn, taking hold of the opposite wall by his left hand and holding from the base where he now was laying with his right hand. He couldn't afford to fall in there. The first thing Robin did was to try and turn himself around so that he was no longer laying on his stomach but on his back. He then pulled himself into a sitting position, having his legs and behind still on the vent he was coming from and his upper body on the turn upwards. Okay, this wasn't so bad. Robin then tried to lift himself up enough to get his legs out from the vent he was coming from. This became a slight problem because there wasn't much of anything he could take hold of. The teen could only lean his back against the opposite wall and hope he didn't slip. After that he could only use the same method; pushing his hands on opposite walls and hoping to slide down. It wasn't fun and definitely not easy, but it was possible.

As Robin finally reached the bottom, he decided if he wanted to travel on his stomach or on his back, he'd end up going on his back. He had noted that turning from your stomach to your back was, in fact, possible, but it was troublesome and he did not like the feeling of his sides and arms rubbing against the iron. When he had to move from the right side of the vent to the left at the same when turning (because there was no room to just flip over), it was not something he would like to do too many times. The suit Slade gave him was something Robin was really grateful now for. His arms would probably be bleeding by now if he was wearing his Robin uniform and his cape would probably slow him down, get stuck, and… Robin did not like the thought of getting stuck. Not at all. Shaking it out of his head, he twisted himself and continued creeping forward.

So far Robin had only hit one dead end because he had lost count of the turns due to distractions. Well, he bet that anyone would get a little distracted if one found a huge dead rat in one's path. He had told Slade, but the man only laughed it off and said something like, 'to keep things realistic'. Robin was about to puke when he tried to creep over it without touching it, but of course that was impossible. He could feel it scrape his back and, when the fur brushed his uncovered neck, he jolted and hit his head on the roof of the vent, gaining a pretty hefty headache from it.

What Robin hated the most were L-shaped turns. It was easier now that he was traveling legs first, which he was pretty happy about after experiencing some L-shaped turns going down. But this L-turn was made just to satisfy Slade's urges to be as much of a nuisance to Robin as possible. So, the boy was now legs first on an L-turn, which led up. Great. There was absolutely no chance that he could get his legs up first, because he could not lift himself up and turn at the same time. Was this even the right turn? Picking up the map, Robin looked at his location. Yes, it was. Sighing, he tried to plan out what he wanted to do. He wasn't going to ask for Slade's help on this. He would prove himself to him that he could do this. Hm, the man was probably already laughing at his poor attempts, probably including making a bet on his failure with his colleagues. Did Slade even have colleagues? Slade-bots probably weren't much of betting partners, he imagined.

Shooing the thoughts out of his head, Robin took an observing look. The only option he found was to go back two turns, switch positions so he could come back head first and try again. Well that sucked. Having no other choice, he had to redo the trip, change position, and after that the turn wouldn't present a problem. In the future, he would plan his positions with better caution.

After a while of traveling, Robin was really looking forward to that glass of water. It was boiling hot in the vents and the air seemed to hover around, not a single gust of wind passing by. The air in the vent was stuffy and smelled horrible. Probably because there were who-knows-what animals rotting in there. Robin shook slightly at the image of the dead rat in his mind. Shaking the image from his head, the teen made his way through the tunnels once more. He was now creeping head first in the vents and he knew he was almost to the end of his route. After a right turn, he wanted to back up and come up with another route. The last of the vents were covered by thick spider and cobwebs and there seemed to be thousands of those little eight-legged beasts around, laying peacefully on their huge nests, ready to land on Robin if he dared to crash them.

Well this was no good. Should he turn back? This route was the shortest. If he took another one, it would possibly take half as long, maybe more. Oh how Robin would have wanted to turn to Slade and seek for help and assurance, but his stubbornness did not give that thought any room. Many times he had been stuck in a hard turn and he wanted to ask help, almost plead to be let out from those small, stuffy, horrible smelling and hot vents, but his pride did not allow it. He would not bend in and seek for the man's help now when he had gotten this far already. He could do this, no problem.

"Slade?"

Boy, did he ever think? Turning to Slade when faced with spiders? Did he have arachnophobia or what?

"Yes, Robin?"

"Why are there spiders in here?"

Robin had effectively hidden his inner fear from Slade, deciding that he wanted the man to think that he asked this with full self confidence. Robin really hoped that he hadn't caught the small crack in his voice at the very start of the sentence. Once again, the teen was answered by a deep, almost forced laugh.

"To keep things more realistic. Almost all vents have spiders. I'm surprised you didn't encounter them sooner."

Well that made sense. The little monsters would inhabit any place they could fit themselves into.

"So I'm supposed to just creep through?"

"Well, yes, unless you want to plan another route," Slade said. "But I cannot assure you that there won't be any other spiders that way either. Besides, they are only spiders. I promise you, that nothing inside is lethal."

'_Pfft, that is so reassuring. Thank you, Slade, for making my day,'_ Robin thought bitterly.

Robin did not like the thought of creeping trough spiderwebs because then he'd probably get his face covered by the sticky thread and those little nuisances would creep all over him. Well, maybe if he really was so close to being out of there, maybe he could risk it just this once.

After one last reassuring breath, Robin started to creep onwards, trying to break the webs with his hands before they hit his face. He wasn't scared of spiders, he just didn't like the thought of being in a small vent with thousands of them. There was absolutely no way he could squash them all. Robin tried to creep past them as fast as possible, praising his luck as the next turn was going up. Now he didn't have to worry about maneuvering around and getting spiders on his head. Some of the tough, little creepers were still after him, but most had stayed in their home vent, leaving the chase for the others.

'_Finally, the last turn!' _

Robin made a smooth twist as he stuffed himself to the left, now on the last straight. His eyes widened slightly.

"Slade, what the hell is this?" Robin yelled when he saw the huge, fan-like thing, slowly turning around on its axle.

Robin could now hear the rusty clonking voice as the fan turned, making the air gust lazily.

"It's the fan, Robin. It keeps the air moving."

"I can see that, but how am I going to get past it?"

"Either you circle it, choose another route, or, if it's big enough, creep past it, avoiding the blade of course."

Well there was no way in hell to get past it. There was no room between the blades to creep through. Besides, the blades moved too fast and there was just no chance Robin could make it in time. Was there anyway to get around it? Taking the map from his belt pocket, the teen planned his route. Damn, the exit was right after this goddamn fan. Well, at least he didn't need to creep through that spider-inhabited vent again.

When Robin was finally only meters away from the exit, he was so grateful that he would praise whatever God he wanted for this. The experience sure did him wonders. If he ever got back to his friends, he needed to make some serious alterations to his suit. There was no way someone could travel in small vents wearing that traffic light-colored costume. He would scratch himself on the walls, make himself bleed, the loose outfit and cape would get stuck, and he could only hope that it would tear so he could struggle free. Was there any suit more impractical than his Robin outfit? Starfire would love to help him prepare a new one, that was for sure.

Robin had once again turned himself around to travel legs first and he was really glad that he had when he noted that the exit was way easier to open by just kicking the whole lid off its hinges.

When the cold air hit Robin's skin and the fresh air filled his lungs, he noticed how horrible the conditions were that he had been working with. The vents had been hot, the air was almost polluted by those corpses, and he was surprised he could still stay conscious. The air inside had been very poor quality. Robin noticed that the vent was about one meter from the ground, so he had to twist his back to arch so he could plant his feet firmly on the floor. Oh how he had missed land.

Robin's muscles were now stiff, slightly sore, and his back was killing him. Well, after laying around and creeping in tight tunnels, one's muscles were bound to get a little bit stiff. Arching his back, he made it crack, potentially taking some of the stiffness away. Then, he performed some stretches and small exercises, just to get his muscles in a better range of movement and get the blood going. After touching the floor with his palms, Robin looked up and saw a table with a glass full of cold water and ice cubes in it a few feet from him. Picking it up, he drank it all in large gulps, letting the liquid wash over his mouth, taking away the dryness.

"Congratulations Robin, I really did not think you'd make it." Robin turned around. "Especially not on the first try," Slade said with a serious tone.

He somehow managed to expose the epic "I told you so" scene in there without even trying.

"Well, I did it. So what now? The simulator? Something fun?"

Robin could not hide the relief from his voice. He had really started to think that he would not get out or away from the vents. In the end, however, he was able to do it. He had been able to creep through the maze. And now that he examined the vents again, he felt slightly amazed. Robin had really just crept through a maze that small? If he hadn't overcome his fear of small spaces, then he never would have.

"Well, if you really are up to it, we might," Slade said. "I have planned a good simulator program to run for you."

Robin started to like these exercises Slade had set for him. They were much more colorful than the ones he did at the tower. Of course, there would need to be many improvements for Slade to lift his training sessions to the level, or even past, that he had with his friends. The villain had fairly lethal ways to make him learn, but somehow they seemed to work for the best. They made Robin wonder what was with him. Was Slade trying to break him by slowly making his visions of the world crash? Would he try to forcefully modify Robin so that he wouldn't even notice it himself? Or was he just trying to show that he wasn't that different after all and that even he could become one like Slade? Somehow the teen got that idea from the last option, but it wouldn't come true. He was the hero. Heroes had nothing in common with the villains and Robin would never, in any circumstances, become one. Robin had stern beliefs and he wasn't one to bend easily. Even Slade would have to learn that.

"Okay, so let's go then. The sooner it's done, the sooner you can get out of my sight," Robin said, hearing a disagreeing voice from Slade. He now stood next to Robin, looking at him with what he thought was a mocking look, but he didn't really see it because of the mask. He looked over and noticed something familiar. "Is that the same exit?"

Robin pointed to the door they had entered the hall from.

"That's the exit, yes," Slade said with a nod. Robin was about to climb over the vents blocking his way and get out from the room as fast as he could, but the man grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. "But try to see it from the eyes of the villain. You were able to get yourself through the vents and get the thing you were looking for. But you can't get caught can you? So, you will have to get out the same way you got in." Slade stuffed Robin back into the vent before he could react. As he was about to yell at the bastard to stop joking and let him go, Slade waved his hand as in good-bye and said, "Ta-ta Robin; take care. I'm off to have a cup of coffee."

And with that, the lid of the vent was shut and the darkness fell around Robin, consuming him. The only sound he could hear was of Slade's retiring steps. The boy had a good feeling an evil smirk was behind that annoying mask when he continued to yell at him. Once there was no sound left, Robin sighed heavily and made his way back out.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, this is SladinForever. I admit that I am a very bad beta XD I've had several chapters sitting on my computer for Kach, but I've been in a reading rut for a long time and haven't bothered working on betaing her work for her. Last time Take Your Medicine was updated was over a year ago. Yeah, I'm horrible, I know D: Hopefully, though, I'll be able to get my ass into gear and get to editing the rest that I have so far for your enjoyment. To brush up on things, here's what has happened:

-Robin was sick with the flu, went out to fight crime, and wound up collapsing due to his fever  
-Slade picked him up, nursed him back to health, and has been training him during their one week training deal  
-Robin has learned to use a variety of weapons and goes into a simulation room, where he performs specific tasks that Slade sets for him  
-Last chapter, Robin conquered his fear of small spaces by traveling through ventilation and getting stuck in the process

So, everyone got that? Yes? Good! But, by all means, go back and brush up on the older chapters since I'm such a lame ass XD I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's actually really well written and so far is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

**Kachiru's Beta, SladinForever**

**Kazhiru's AN:**

Today I was having a boring day... school was nerve wrecking, and once I got home, I played minecraft all day long... I was supposed to go to sleep after, but I decided to check my email first... OHS*HIT GUYZ! DocX deliver? *Insert intense joy* I'm sorry this chapter is WAY more than late, but hey, it's here now. Maybe I can keep up with the phase. I have like... What? 15 chaps already written. They only need some editing from my beta. (sorry sladin). Please, do enjoy the story, and thank SladinForever for her patience to edit my horribly written gibberish!

**Enjoy!**

* * *

As they say, the return journey always feels faster than the beginning one. The same applied when traveling in vents. Robin had almost memorized the route and had not taken as many missed turns as before. Soon, he reached the end of the maze. The feeling of walking on the firm floor was really something Robin appreciated. The vent had felt way more hot, laborious, stuffy, and, at some point, Robin was sure he'd faint from the stink and dehydration combined.

"Oh God I have to get a glass of water. And a shower. I stink."

And stink he did. It was as if the smell from the vents were stuck on him, making him feel disgusted. Who would want to smell like rotting fish and moth-eaten air that had been staying still since god knows how long? Taking his leave, Robin left down the hall, without looking back. The first thing he did was drink three big glassfuls of water. After, he took a shower, using the one in Slade's quarters. He felt clean after he had gotten rid of all the sweat from the hot vents. He now smelled fresh thanks to Slade's sports shampoo. The exhaustion from the vent experience was taking its toll and making Robin feel tired, but he didn't want to miss the simulator practice. Slade had planned something for him and somehow he found that he didn't want to disappoint him. Especially not after being able to survive the vents almost perfectly.

As Robin held his loosely hanging towel on his waist, smelling fresh and feeling it too, he found out that he didn't have the courage to touch his training suit anymore. He could smell the damn thing from the other side of the room. Not even the most horrifying beast would make him wear that thing before it was properly washed. Maybe the bots would collect it if he just left it there? Shrugging his shoulders, Robin made his way to the closet, looking for his spare uniform that he knew would have to be there somewhere. After finding it folded nicely in the furthest corner, he changed and then fled to the simulator room, not even trying to hide his happiness and energy. His chest was swelling with pride and accomplishment when he had finally overcome his fear of small spaces. And, of course, he was really happy to leave the stinking uniform in the room.

Finding his way to the simulator room was easier than he thought. Getting lost not nearly as much, Robin stepped in the room without bothering to state his presence to Slade. He didn't really deserve any kind of pleasantries after making him go through the vent maze twice.

"Robin."

"Slade," Robin answered with almost the same cold voice as Slade had. Slade sounded more amused than cold, but Robin ignored that fact.

"I see you were able to cope with the vents. I'm pleased. But now, if you will, we'll start with this exercise. In you go."

Slade indicated the door that led to the room itself with his hand. He was once again near the command center, adjusting the room settings.

"What do you have planned?" Robin asked curiously, really feeling as such.

Slade hadn't said anything about what he would encounter in the room this time, making him feel slightly cheated. He needed some kind of clue as to what he would see in there.

"I'll tell you when you're inside, just like last time."

Taking a deep breath, Robin decided to go in. Last time was not nearly as bad as it had been, so this wouldn't be either. Right? Once he stepped into the room, the scenery started to change immediately. Robin saw the panels of the wall switch, twist, turn, and reflect artificial light. Soon they were settling on something that looked brownish and slightly dark. The floor started to make its change now as well. Robin could see how different types of objects rose under him. He knew better than to move around now, so he stood completely still until the room finished its transformation. Soon, after one clunk like noise was heard and his surroundings lay completely still, the room started to create smaller details.

Cold, salty, sea-like smelling air caught Robin's nostrils. It was enough to make his hair rustle. Then, voices, howling wind, some roaring machines, and even people talking came around. Soon the room seemed to wake up and everything became alive. Small pieces of trash on the concrete moved from the wind and other kinds of movement. Further away, Robin saw people standing in a crowd, conversing, moving their hands aggressively, as if saying that they really disagreed with whatever they were being told. Robin couldn't hear what they were saying very well.

It always amazed Robin how this room could bring everything to life—make everything so real. He could even feel the uneven ground under his feet. Tiny pebbles of sand would hit his face and some trash collided with his ankles, which he could also feel. He could even sit on one of the crates that were in the alley he was in if he wanted to. This reminded Robin to observe his surroundings. He was definitely at the docks, judging by the smell of the ocean and the huge shipping crates and machines that were there to move them. Robin could even hear a faint crashing of waves. Soon the air was pierced by the ship's horn as it gave some kind of signal—Robin didn't know much about ship signals really. It was a perfect replica of Jump City's docks, as far as he could tell. All the gray and dark brown colors, all the warehouses, the different colored crates; everything. It just never ceased to amaze Robin. Slade suddenly interrupted him from his musings.

"Are you ready?"

Of course he was. He was eager, to be more exact. Robin just couldn't wait. He didn't know what he had to do yet, but somehow he felt as if he actually was at the docks, not in Slade's base. Maybe he could see Titans Tower from there? It wasn't impossible, when the sky was clear, you could shape the island. He couldn't wait.

"Yes, of course I'm ready. What's the mission?"

"You see those people at the docks? They are dealers. They have a huge shipment coming in and they have strict orders: shoot or be shot. But you don't need to arrest them. That is not your place in the story." That comment dazed Robin slightly because that was what he usually did. Catch the bad guys and hand them over to police. "These people have actually stolen something of yours and are now about to ship it to the highest bidder. Of course, the police are okay with this because they aren't very fond of you. To put it another way, they have been ordered to look the other way." So Slade had made him the bad guy for this one. Well it didn't matter, this was only a simulator. Right? But it still irritated Robin. "They are after you for good and, if you don't get them first, they are going to kill you."

Okay, so Slade had just sent him into the middle of a killing spree. Robin was so going to get back at him for that.

"So what do you want? For me to kill them with my bare hands? Can I just immobilize them?"

He didn't have any weapons with him for god's sake! He was not about to kill anyone, not even if they were only mirages, or whatever they were.

"To answer your questions in order: I want you to take care of those people, don't let _anyone_ escape, there's only twelve of them. And of course you couldn't kill them quickly and efficiently with just your hands. There's a gun placed on a small crate in the right corner. Also, there are some extra bullets. Remember, this is not one of those games where you can redo the mission. Don't get yourself killed. And no, you can't immobilize them. Well, maybe you can, but then they could speak to their boss. If that happens, you have failed." Robin couldn't hold back a snort. Let them kill him? This was a simulator, they could do no such thing. They didn't really exist. That meant that their guns didn't exist, neither did the wounds he might get. "I hope you get the point because you are on your own now. Take care."

And with that, the voice was gone. If Slade really thought that Robin would kill someone, he was sadly mistaken. He still couldn't picture the fact that Robin didn't kill. He was not going to start now, nor was he ever. But still, deciding to let Slade at least _think_ he was going to do this by the rules, Robin picked up the imaginary gun, which was weird to hold. It weighted as much as the one he had used before and it looked the same. It felt one hundred percent real, but it couldn't be. There was no gun inside the simulator room when he had entered, which could only mean that the gun wasn't real.

After placing the gun and extra bullets safely in his belt, which acted as a holster, Robin made his move. First thing he always did was prepare a plan and get a good sight connection to the target. Robin climbed up the escape ladders and soon found himself creeping on the roof of a tall warehouse, examining his targets. Was there any way he could just immobilize them? Was there any other way to shut their mouths than to kill them?

Hey, he actually could see Titans Tower from here! There was a light on in the living room window and he was sure that they were all watching a move- No! Concentrate on the mission.

Robin's mind was clearly not producing anything useful for this and, so far, he only noticed that eight of the men were close-by, talking, and the rest were near the ship, getting ready. Slade had mentioned that they had something of his. Maybe if he'd be able to get that back, he didn't need to do anything about the men on the docks. But then maybe there wasn't anything in the ship? This was a simulator after all. Besides, the ship was way too secure, it was too much of a risk to be taken. Any way Robin looked at it, there was no way he could silence the men, and if he could, they'd almost be better off dead. Maybe if he was able to lure them in a trap? Yes, that was it. Maybe he'd be able to lock them up in one of those huge shipment boxes. Once in there, they could be taken to one of those oil platforms for all he cared.

Robin looked around his surroundings to look for the best shipment box for the cause. And there it was. It was lying on it's side, lid open, almost as if it were waiting to be used. All it needed was some slight modifications and a possibility to lock. Maybe if he could support the lid with something and, when they were in, he'd just need to break the supporting pole. It sounded really simple, but sometimes simple was the best. Then he could block the lid by driving one of the forklifts against it, blocking it. All he needed now was to put his plan into action. He climbed back down and silently ran into the shadows of the warehouses. No one had seen him yet. Good. He could not let anyone see or hear him until he was ready and, so far, everything was going according to plan. Robin quickly found some abandoned iron bars from the dock. It was rather challenging to try to move them from there to the box right under their noses though.

Soon, the trap was set and the only thing left was getting the forklift ready. The shipment box was in a rather good location. It was hidden in the alley and it was right after a sharp turn. If Robin managed to get all of them to chase him, he'd only have to take the turn and climb over the box. Then they would just run inside. They wouldn't even notice what hit them until it was too late.

Smiling widely, Robin made his way to the forklift. He sat on the seat and pushed the metal shield off with a piece of steel he found while moving the bars. Now he only had to connect some wires—he did not have the keys—and then he'd be all set. Robin had done this before. Well, not with a forklift, but with cars and motorcycles while working with Bruce. This wouldn't be much harder. Except that the wires were all either brown or blue. How did this piece of junk pass the security test? The wires had to be marked by colors so that no danger of miss wiring caused an electrical shot. This machine had to be against every law on vehicles, but Robin tried his luck. He just had to look really carefully, figure out which wire came from where, and then connect them. With a hold of his breath, he touched the ends together. The forklift started and the motor was functioning just fine. But so was the horn. The noise was so loud, it almost scared Robin out of the heavy machinery. This did not amuse the dealers. No, not one bit.

"I hear him! He's by that alley!"

"Get him! Don't let him escape!"

"I'll shoot that little mollusk!"

Robin was dead meat now. He startled to his feet, wanting nothing more than to escape. There were eight of them behind him. He had no idea where the rest of them were.

_'Slade would probably get the kicks out of this if he was looking from the window… This is so embarrassing.'_

Robin was quickly brought back to the chase as a gunshot pierced the air. He heard an iron barrel being shot, which caused him to meep and run faster. This hadn't gone to plan. It hadn't gone to plan at all!

It took Robin a while to notice that his chasers were showing no signs of tiredness, but weren't actually that good of shooters either. So far, he had not been shot, even if he had been out like a sitting duck. He could see that some of the dealers were not comfortable with the guns as they tried to shoot him by holding it with both hands and closing both eyes too. They even held their hands wrong. They were not supposed to press their hands against their chest and just _hope_ to hit their target. What kind if idiots were they? It almost made Robin want to turn around and show them how it was done. But only an idiot would do that. And that turned the light bulb on over his head. Maybe he didn't have to kill anyone if he just ran through the mob and make them shoot each other. That may have sounded like an idiotic plan, but he couldn't really shoot them either. He couldn't run and aim at the same time. Besides, doing daring acrobatics was what he did best. Some of the men, who really seemed to be newbies at this profession, even seemed to be afraid of the slightest sound they heard. It would not be a real challenge to make them accidentally shoot their comrades as they were trying to protect themselves from the attacker. They'd probably even try to shoot their own shadow because of their nervousness. All he had to do was scatter the crowd.

When Robin ran to the next turn, he jumped up and took a hold of the escape ladder, pulling himself up and then staying completely quiet, waiting for them to run past.

"He disappeared!"

"You let him escape? Idiots! We'll separate to look for him. Yell if you find him!" The men nodded. Soon, they all scattered, expect the one that yelled, who was still standing right under Robin. "Come on you coward, I know you're still here!"

He looked around, holding his gun in his hand, ready to shoot whatever moved. Great, he'd have to be the first one to go.

Silently, Robin made his way to the roof, making sure he didn't hear him. He'd just have to test out how sensitive they were… Robin saw almost everyone from the roof. He could see their positions and he could guess their paths. The roof he was on was flat. It also seemed to have been forgotten. Some time ago, people had probably tried to fix the roof and now it looked like they had left without a trace, leaving everything on it. He could use those as distractions. He could drop some tools to make noise, to scare them. Like Batman, he'd drop on them in the shadows and make them scream for their dear life.

Smiling widely, Robin took one blank board from the pile and went into his position near the end of the roof. He could see two people from there. They couldn't see each other because they were on opposite ends of the path—one in the alley and the other behind a wall. Was this made easy for him or what? Both of the men were tense. He could tell by the way they had their shoulders tensed. They walked slowly, taking small steps, turning around in distress as they heard imaginary voices behind them. One of them even managed to shoot a rat when he thought it was the intruder.

Smiling, Robin lifted the wood blank over his head, aiming for the barrels at the corner of the turn. He could see the wood piece fly in the air and then collide with the iron barrels, making a huge metallic sound that then rolled them over. The men were shouting and running at the corner, aiming at the source of the noise. The other was at his highest level of awareness and noticed the shadow of the other person coming around to see what the sound was about. He aimed at the corner, waiting for the shadow's owner to come around the bend. It all happened so fast that Robin barely registered it. As he came into view, the other shot him in the chest at the exact same moment without thinking. Once he noticed what he had done, he rushed over to the man, trying to stop the bleeding. He kneeled over him, trying to reassure him that he'd be okay. Unfortunately, he looked like he could die from this very moment in mere minutes. Robin could even see it from the distance by the way the shot man tensed and went pale. The man kneeling was pressing the wound while holding him by his hand, shouting for him to stay conscious, to not die. Soon, a third man ran to the scene, probably aware of the shouting and shooting he had heard. Suddenly stopping, he stood frozen to the spot when he saw the men on the ground. As he collected himself together, he started to shout. He was mad at the other. All he got back was some half-assed apologies that Robin could not hear from the distance because he spoke in a panicked and incoherent voice. Soon, both voices started to rise and they all but yelled at each other. As the man laying unmoving on the ground finally breathed his last breath, the man who had just come to the scene lost it and started to point at the other with a gun. They sure weren't stupid enough to kill each other over this were they?

Robin decided that he wasn't sure if he wanted to wait and find out. He had managed to trigger this event and he wasn't happy about it. The men were delirious, they yelled, they blamed each other for the event, and, before Robin could stop them, they both had drawn their guns and fired a shot each. The newer man hit the kneeled one straight between the eyes. In turn, he was hit in the throat. As he hit the ground with a horrible thump, he shook violently, holding his throat and trying to yell despite his windpipe nearly getting blown off. The sight was disgusting. The blood was spraying from the wound, hitting the wall, and the man was in shock. It took all of Robin's will to not rush in there, to remind himself time and again that this was not real. The men didn't really exist and this was merely a simulator. But god did it look real. Robin could see the blood pool to the floor. As he finally jumped down to look if the man was still alive, he noted that his breath was so faint that it merely made the blood drip out of his mouth and his eyelids were blinking faintly and rapidly.

As Robin was about to reach for him, to help however he could, he saw him trying to cough and, before he managed to lift him in a sitting position, he had already choked on his own blood. The man's eyes had glossed over and he didn't breathe. Robin knew he had lost him. He had caused the death for all three people and he felt terrible. He stood in the middle of the corpses, staining his boots and legs in dark red blood, looking at the lifeless beings on the ground. He really thought that if he made the men kill each other, he would not feel bad about it and it wouldn't be his fault. But he was wrong. He was so wrong. Never in his life had Robin felt this guilty, nor this horrified with himself. Because of him, three men were now dead. No, three imaginary people. Simulator people. Only a mirage, a production of his mind. Or Slade's mind, seeing as he was the on the other side of the wall, pushing all the buttons. This was not real! It took all of Robin's will to make him believe that the men in front of him were only a hallucination. A darn good one, but still a hallucination. But Robin could smell the odor of blood in the air. He felt how thick the liquid was slowly making its way through the layer of clothing he had on him and was slowly tainting his legs with the shade of dark red despair.

"Hey! You!" An angry voice woke Robin up from his disturbing thoughts. Lifting his head, he saw another man, looking horrified. Who wouldn't when he just found his enemy kneeling on the ground, covered by the blood of his dead comrades that lay on the ground around him. "Y-You…You killed them! I'm going to murder you for this!"

Raising the gun, the man aimed to shoot Robin. Knowing better than to stay kneeling there, he bolted up, running as fast as he could and trying to find cover. On the ground, there was some materials he could use, like the lid of an iron barrel or the barrel itself. But a small voice inside his head told him that it was no use. The voice was mocking him, telling him to stop running, face the enemy, and just kill him. He had already killed three men, he may as well kill the rest. But then there was this other voice. That voice told him, too, to stop running, but it also told him to stay and get shot. He had killed and he wasn't any different than his worst enemies. He was on the same level now.

Robin's thoughts were running from one point to another, which made him do the same. At least he was sure he had passed that corner at least three times already. The man after him was furious. He screamed and he fired shot after shot. None of them had yet to come near Robin, but what he was afraid of was that the man would attract others' attention. If he couldn't come up with a plan quick and the others found him, he would be dead for sure.

Robin ran fast, zigzagging and changing his path many times, trying to distract the man, but so far, he had not been able to escape his wrath. There were no ladders to escape with, nor anything suitable for cover. Things seemed to go wrong for him. He was sure that every turn he took led to nowhere and all of his plans seemed to crash. His mind was a mess and he kept facing dead ends with his thoughts. He didn't want to spill anymore blood from anyone, not by his hands and not by others. Besides, this was a simulator, right? He didn't have to. This wasn't real. It wasn't like these men could actually hurt him. They weren't real. And what wasn't there couldn't hurt him. Right? Robin was trying to reassure himself, even if he liked to believe that he was just planning on what to tell Slade once he got out of there. None of this training made sense. What was the point of killing something that didn't really exist?

Facing another dead end, Robin found that he was screwed. This one was nothing but physical force. He was now trapped in the alley with no other way out except to go where the danger was: the man with a gun and a motive to kill. Robin stood back facing the wall, eyes set before him, waiting for the man to appear in his line of vision any minute now. He suddenly appeared, eyes blood shot, clothes ragged, panting for breath, looking aggressive and menacing with a loaded gun in his hands, and making it very clear that he would shoot. By the crazed look in his eyes, Robin knew he wouldn't regret the moment he pulled the trigger. It was only him and the man now. Two people, only one survivor. At that point, Robin knew that there was no chance to get himself out of this. The man was there to kill. He meant business.

"You fucking son of a bitch! You must be really proud of yourself now, huh? Causing mayhem all around the city, murdering people, having connections! Well it's all over now! You finally made your false move! I will avenge the very injustice you have done, by relieving the people from their misery!

Swinging down with the back of the gun, the man missed Robin's head by only mere inches. Instead, he managed to land a painful hit to his left shoulder, causing him to flinch in pain and grab it. The pain wasn't real. Robin tried to think, but god did it feel real when his shoulder stung with pain. It was the equivalent to being hit by an iron crowbar. As he raised his head to look at the man, the first thing he noticed was that his gun was a special, modified version. Or at least different from the one the men carried with them. This one was slightly bigger and made out of pure metal. It probably weighed at least twice more than the others and it had small spikes for decoration. Robin started to believe they were there for a reason. And he didn't want to be hit with it again. As the man raised his hand again, Robin was already on his way to avoid the attack before it even landed. He still managed to get a small scratch on his left side, but the suit protected him pretty well.

"You think this is some game kid? You better stop playing around and start fighting for real! I'm going to kill you and I'm going to take all the fun out of it by making you feel the pain you caused for my comrades!" The man reloaded the gun. "Let's see you dance with one leg already in the grave."

Before Robin could dodge, a loud bang was heard and a bullet pierced his leg, destroying the muscle and making it bleed profusely. He screamed in pain. Now it was almost impossible to believe that this was just a mere simulator. Robin fell to his knees, the pain was almost unbearable. He had been shot before, but one could never get used to something like this. Last time he had fainted pretty fast after the shot and he didn't have to suffer for long, but not this time. This couldn't be a simulator anymore. He was in real pain, the man was real, and the blood that kept oozing from the wound certainly looked real enough for him. His leg was shattered. The bullet had gone right through his shin, only missing the bone by mere millimeters. The bullet itself had rammed itself in the wall behind Robin, making the bricks crack and break. There was no chance that this was a game anymore. No, this was real. All this time, Robin had assured himself that nothing that happened here could really hurt him, but this proved him wrong. He was in trouble now. His leg was useless from the knee down and it hurt like hell. He couldn't run, jump, or kick. Hell, he couldn't do anything now that his right leg was shattered. Robin tried to hold it and try to stop the bleeding, trying to look for anything to use as a bandage. When he lifted his gaze from his leg, he saw the man's knee aimed at his face. It hit him hard in the left cheek bone, leaving horrible pain and loud protest from his neck. It didn't like the sudden motion of being twisted back more than it normally did.

As Robin flew backwards, his head moved back far enough to slightly hit a barrel hanging uselessly on the wall, but luckily it didn't hurt. Or at least he didn't notice it. His leg was hurting enough that he didn't care about the small wince on his face. Robin tried to lift himself up while keeping a hold of the wall. He backed himself into a corner. The man was lunging at him when he finally got himself on both feet, supporting all his weight with his left leg and trying to lift his damaged one as protection, wishing it would keep the man away from him. He only slapped it away, making Robin wince. He forgot all about the pain in his shoulder while lifting his hands to try and hit the man into unconsciousness. As they say, redirecting pain was possible. Robin had to agree. His leg hurt enough that the pain in his shoulder now felt like nothing. He even managed to land an almost perfect, successful blow to the man's temple. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough power behind it and the man only swayed away a little. It left more space between the two, but it didn't hold him back.

Robin felt useless without being able to kick his enemy because he held a great portion of strength within his legs. Not that his arms were weak by any means, but he had gotten used to a fighting style with powerful kicks, professional bo staff mastery, and almost anyone could see that almost all of his moves were supported by his legs, the power of the punch starting from the very being of himself. But now, when Robin was left with only his hands to fight, his chances were reduced by a good half portion of the total. Promising to have more effort in only hand-to-hand combat, Robin tried to come up with good alterations for his moves, trying to come up with something that didn't require a leg he couldn't afford.

As the man lunged forward, Robin used his good leg to jump, trying to lift himself enough in the air to lung at him with his full weight behind his punch, managing to make him stumble and fall. The landing made Robin wince as the injured leg hit the ground and the wounded muscles protested as they moved the way they normally wouldn't. Using all that Batman had taught him, he tried to ignore the pain. As the man was pushed to the ground, he tried to jump away from him, but didn't get very far. He grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him down. Getting his breath forced out of his lungs as he hit the ground, Robin tried to recover as fast as possible. He rolled over and awaited a sharp punch from the man. As he saw the force when the punch hit the ground, making the dirt jump and hover into the air, Robin decided that he didn't want to be hit. He now lay on his back in the dirt. He used his hands and abs to jolt himself up on his only healthy leg, swaying a little but managing to keep his balance. He tried to jump away again, but the man had a hold of his hand. He tried to pull him back. Robin was about to lose his balance for real this time, but managed to yank his hand from him, making himself fall backwards. Luckily, he hit the wall and was still standing.

The man was yelling in frustration as Robin kept escaping from his clutches. He then attempted a full lung towards him. Robin tried to protect himself from the upcoming punch by stopping him with his hands, but he had misjudged his intentions and the force of the punch. The fist sank into Robin's stomach, feeling like his intestines were pushed apart from each other, making him vomit whatever he had been trying to digest.

"Don't you see, brat. Your game is played. You lost."

Robin was desperately trying to gasp for breath and straighten his collapsed position. He saw the man preparing to shoot his brains out. Robin could already see himself lying lifeless in a bare room with gray walls and an emotionless Slade staring at him from the other side of the glass, shaking his head in disappointment. He could not die in here. He was supposed to be free. After one week, he would see his friends again. He was not going to let himself die and make his friends' lives horrible, making them feel guilty and horrified from his disappearance. They'd be crushed when Slade told them he was killed during a mission in a simulator room, killed by people that only existed inside four walls. Robin could see Starfire crying for him, Beast Boy's ears drooping, Raven retreating back inside herself, never opening up again, and saw Cyborg trying to hold everyone together, but failing and falling deep into depression. He could see them mourning him, blaming themselves for his loss. He could not let his friends see that day. Robin felt a single tear drip along his cheek. With shaky hands, he reached to one of his belt pockets.

"Give my regards to your parents in heaven for me, will you?"

Robin felt the cold steel of the gun press against his temple. After a final shot, everything went silent and dark.

* * *

There was a little bit of blood on Robin's cheek. No one moved. The setting went completely still. No waves were heard anymore. No wind was playing in the deserted alley. Not even the seagulls dared to coo. A cough was heard and then another droplet hit Robin's cheek, making the red liquid slowly run down and absorb into his uniform, staining it dark red. Finally, the man collapsed, coughing up blood on him. Blood pooled out of his stomach as he leaned on him. Robin almost fell from the heavy weight pressed to his smaller frame. He grasped the gun tightly in his right hand with all the strength he had, pressing it against the man, fearing that the slightest of movements would make the whole world collapse on him. As the strength in the man's legs died, he fell over sideways, landing in the sand and breathing it in. Robin continued to listen to them, though they were distant. Suddenly, all thoughts deserted him. Not a single thing crossed his mind. He soon woke from his reverie when he saw the man try to reach for something. He looked down at the dying mass of flesh and blood. He was glaring at Robin with all the hate he still had. Trying to negotiate his leg to take a weak step forward, he stepped up beside him.

"You made me choose today. When you were going to kill me, I noticed something. It was between you and me. One would live while the other died. It was either me, a person with family and friends, had a goal, and was a real man, or you, a simulator-created person, who only exists inside these walls and inside my head. It took me a near-death situation to realize that I prefer my own life over someone who does not really exist at all."

Blocking out all of the voices around him, Robin aimed the gun one more time and ended the suffering of the dying man in front of him, only hearing a faint sound of a gun shot. Silently, he stepped over the man with his good leg, limping his way to the nearest wall. He used it for support with one hand while the other held his hurting stomach as he tried to find his way back whence he came. The simulator program wouldn't end until the other men were dead too. Robin no longer cared to save them. They were only imaginary people. They weren't even robots. They didn't exist. Even as the first to find him was yelling for his comrades and taking aim with his gun, Robin already shot him and kept going. He didn't care. He was too dirty, too tired, mentally and physically. All he wanted to do was get out of there, take a shower, and sleep. He didn't want to deal with this simulation anymore. He had had enough.

The seven people left were quickly taken care of and Robin was soon on the docks. The men weren't even difficult to deal with. They were fairly terrible shooters and were the biggest cowards he had ever seen in his life. After standing there like an unmoving target with his immobilized leg, Robin decided that the thugs weren't enough to save anyways. Having to kill people, they should at least be a challenge, but these people were just plain stupid or just there to annoy him. Why would anyone ever hire such useless shooters? He did a great deed for the man who had hired them. There's no reason to pay someone who can't do a simple task.

As the last person collapsed and Robin found the room moving around him, he slowly limped his way to the door, where Slade was waiting for him. He was sitting in a desk chair with his arms crossed, looking at him with his only good eye. The moment Robin stepped inside the room, the pain in his leg disappeared and he was almost dumbfounded when he noted that he could stand on it now. There was just a slight cramp that didn't hurt all that bad. Slade stood up from his chair.

"I'm disappointed that it took you so long to get rid of those meddling fools. But I give you some credit for being able to overcome your false morality that killing is always a bad decision." Slade switched positions with Robin, pushing him into the chair. He looked at his slightly hurt leg. "I'm also disappointed that you managed to get yourself this beaten up when the difficulty was only at level two. Those men were probably the worst shooters ever and still you get shot in the leg? I'm disappointed."

Slade removed Robin's boot and lifted the leg of the suit. He started to examine his leg, feeling the muscles and seeing if there was anything wrong. To Robin, the touch felt like a massage. He started to relax from it, leaning back in the chair slightly, as not to show Slade that he was getting comfortable. He didn't want the heavenly touch to go away. After limping around with a shot leg, almost any touch felt like a massage. Robin thought his fingers were remedial. Not daring to tell him that, in fear that he'd stop, Robin decided to ask one question that was bothering him.

"How does the room do that? Make it feel so real…?"

Slade regarded him briefly. "Once I set the simulator, a toxin similar to Dr. Jonathan Crane's fear toxin fills the room. It is absorbed through your skin and stimulates the brain to show hallucinations. I make sure every human sense filters through. With my controls, I create the voices and they are heard from speakers throughout the room. I can also make the aromas in any specific setting. A machine mixes different ingredients, producing said smells. After it's ready, they're transferred through the walls inside the room. As for feeling pain, the mind tricks your body into thinking it's real. Once you stepped out of the room, you instantly detoxed, leaving your hallucinated mind behind and returning to the real world. Thus, the pain vanished almost instantaneously."

Finished with his explanation, Slade gave Robin's thigh a strong pat, letting him know that he was indeed alright. There was no blood on him and his leg didn't bother him at all. Even if he didn't like the idea of being drugged and hallucinating without being informed, he still thought that the room was shrewd. Nodding, he rose to his feet, swaying so little that it probably wasn't even visible. But Slade managed to notice.

"I think you should get some rest. I also think you'll want to take a shower. Therefore I must tell you: tomorrow your missions will begin. I have already planned your mission with a small training session for you to perform before. I suggest you get some sleep so you won't fail you first mission." Slade guided Robin to his bedroom, holding his shoulder for a rather long time. "Robin, I think you have been doing rather well with your training. So far, its been successful and I suggest you keep that up."

Before he let go of him, Slade rewarded him with a small pat on the shoulder. Robin smiled happily at this, accepting the praise he had given. Bruce almost never praised him and he had learned to accept praises whenever they came. What he wondered was why a praise from Slade made him feel more accomplished than one from Bruce. He thought that it was because he had been made to do some really challenging things today: overcame his fear of small spaces and he survived today's simulator program. He had overdone himself, on some mental scale at least, and he thought that he deserved the praise he had earned.

As they reached the room, Robin went straight to the shower. Even if he wasn't covered completely in blood, he still felt as if he was. Inside, Robin enjoyed the warmth of the water that relaxed every nerve and made him feel wonderfully clean. I felt nice to let all those depressing thoughts that had piled up on him when he was in the simulator wash away. After he brushed his teeth with an extra toothbrush that was in the cabinet, he entered the bedroom, wearing his towel on his hips and trying to sort out his hair with his hands. Slade was on the computer and was stealing glimpses of Robin while he stretched and showed off his chest and stomach. It was such a shame that he had to look over and save his work and turn off the computer that he had carelessly left on all morning. Slade would have preferred to do some bird watching instead of checking on a few files.

"Slade, where are my sleep clothes?"

Robin was currently leaning over the bed, looking to see if the bots had placed them under the comforters. Slade was looking too. At Robin's _rear_.

"Probably in the closet," he mumbled absentmindedly.

"Oh, yeah, right…"

Robin decided to take a shortcut by crawling over the bed, reaching the closet way faster that way. After that show, Slade didn't mind if Robin slept naked. Why cover those muscles under some overly big nightshirt? With that, Slade made a mental note to get Robin _new_ night wear. Maybe something more huggable? Or maybe he would just forget the whole shirt thing. He could sleep with pajama pants only. What had he been thinking when he provided Robin those clothes? Well, as they say, one learns from their mistakes.

Slade turned off the computer while Robin made himself comfortable in the bed, burying himself under the comforter to absorb the warmth. He turned on his side so that he was facing the bathroom door. He was about to drift off to sleep when he felt the mattress fold as another person laid down. Robin tensed. Slade had just come to sleep next to him. He hadn't done that before. Or, at least…Robin didn't know if he had. He laid still, as if to wait for him to move, to reach out to him, but nothing happened. So he relaxed. It was Slade's bed. Strange, Robin didn't even think about asking for a room for himself. It actually unnerved him. Did that mean that he liked to be here with Slade? Of course not. That was just stupid. Who would want to be in the same place with Slade? That just didn't add up.

Robin tensed again when Slade turned on his side and inhaled. He let the air venture out from his lungs, making it travel until it hit his neck and made him shiver. Robin could smell Slade all around him now. It came with the breath. But, he found that he didn't mind at all. Slade smelled musky. Inhaling his scent helped relax him again, making him think that maybe this wasn't that weird. It was Slade's room and it _was_ his bed after all. And so, Robin let himself drift towards sleep. He hoped that he wouldn't see anything from the simulator in his dreams. He didn't want to see himself killing people in his sleep, nor see himself getting killed. Almost getting worried about the night to come, Robin tried to curl up in a ball, but was brought back to Earth by the sound of Slade's steady breathing. Hmm, maybe it was a good thing to have him around. Slade would protect him if anything bad were to happen. Not a single person would dare threaten him. Somehow, Robin found his breathing very reassuring.

As he drifted off, Robin couldn't help but muse if Slade slept with his mask on or not. It was cut short when he was too tired to turn around and look. Relaxing again and giving into his exhaustion, Robin soon found himself sound asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, just this story. I'm not making any money from it

**SladinForever's AN: **A new chapter edited already? How do you like dem apples! Tis a bit short, but Kach and I decided that shortening them would be easier on me to edit and updates could get posted faster. Chapter 11 IS longer though and full of some good stuff, yup yup. Also, since Kach first started this, my style of writing/editing has changed, so I'll be going back and fixing the older chapters, so they can stay consistent. So that's that. I'll try to keep my editing speed the same for you guys, so you don't have to wait so damn long again :U Also, this will probably be the last author note you see from me. Kachiru has the spotlight, not me. I tend to talk too much anyway ;p

* * *

The morning came like a pile of bricks: heavy, difficult, hard, and not alone. Even if the night hadn't been as bad as Robin had been afraid of, it still managed to be a pain. He woke up feeling tired, almost as if he had not had a single eyeful of sleep the whole night. He felt as if he was almost freezing cold, but he was sweating. He had been afraid that he'd be damned to have nightmares for the whole night; nightmares of him murdering people, him getting killed by an angry mob, and weird enough, being scolded by Slade. But that hadn't been the case. For the entire night, he hadn't been dreaming at all. Well, he did, but most of the time people didn't remember them. But he _did_ remember something. But, for the love of God, he couldn't remember what. The only thing he could recall was a silhouette of a dream that was seen just moments before he woke up. He kind of thought it had something to do with Slade. Not that he had been able to form anything from the dark blur…

If it hadn't been the dream he remembered, Robin remembered that he had been tossing and turning in his sleep, probably once lying on Slade's arm. But he had been too tired to care. The night had been hot and he had been trapped in the sheets as he rolled so much, waking up only to unleash himself from his self-inflicted trap. Soon, though, he was cold and hogging all the comforters. If Slade hadn't been an insomniac before he decided to have a "good night's sleep" in the same bed with a still recovering Robin, he sure would be now. If anyone could gather from the night's experiences, the morning after wasn't that bright. Robin's feet were cold, his head ached, and his eyes were sore for some weird reason—probably from his pitiful sleep.

Robin was tired. Even more so than he was before he went to sleep, if that was possible. Oh how he hoped Slade wouldn't have a super-challenging mission for him today or Robin was sure he'd fail by falling asleep. Speaking of the devil, where was Slade? The other side of the bed, which he had occupied for the night, was now empty. There wasn't an imprint on the mattress to confirm his past presence. As Robin reached over to lay a hand on the bed, he noticed that that side no longer held any of Slade's body heat, so that meant he had woken up long ago. Not because of Robin, he hoped. That would lead him into trouble, that was for sure. He couldn't help but feel slightly loose for not noticing a man, who was big enough to kill a bear, to sneak out of the bed without him even noticing. Robin was probably losing his touch. Well he couldn't let that happen! He couldn't let that happen at all!

Trying to remember as well as he could, Robin tried to recall his wake ups every twenty minutes. Slade had been there for the first four and, when Robin had started mumbling in his sleep, waking up, and hitting his hand on the nightstand by accident, he probably left. Robin probably dreamt about trying to shoo something off his body for him to do such a thing. Which meant he probably only had a maximum of two hours sleep, maybe one and a half, and was now nowhere to be seen. Just his luck.

Now it was time for Robin to try and get his body up from the comfy bed and to get on with his morning routines. He didn't know if Slade was expecting him to be somewhere this morning or if he was to stay in the room. Not that he cared anyway. Slade shouldn't get let off so easily. At times it made Robin really baffled as he thought about the whole deal. How come he hadn't put up more of a fight? Not that he was happy with this. He should be looking for a means of escape! But honestly, he didn't have the time, and that small, more than annoying voice was telling him to stay and see what would happen. He couldn't help but feel curious. Besides, this would be the perfect time to learn something new about Slade! Maybe something of use to blackmail him with later! Besides, all those training programs here… No, not a single thought along that path! His friends and his own freedom and will were a lot more important than some kick-ass simulator program that he _so_ had to make Cyborg build back at Titans Tower…

'_No! Get rid of those thoughts!' _Robin mentally scolded himself. _'This isn't a joyride! This is serious business!'_

Though, he could enjoy it while it lasted. Besides, the most certain way to get out of here was to stick to Slade's plan and then waltz out the building and never come back. But the thought that this time Slade didn't need any probes to get Robin to stay was a way of mocking him. How could he have gone that soft? He should be screaming murder by now! Thank God he hadn't started calling Slade 'master' already. Maybe that was his plan? To lull him into a false sense of security and take him as offered on a silver platter? Huh, that tricky bastard. But the one thing that made Robin stay, and was probably the most influential influence, was curiosity. Who could blame him. He had been born curious. That's what kept him going.

So to the point, Robin was curious about Slade's new tactic. So far he hadn't threatened him or his friends, at least not that bad that it counted, nor had he hurt him that bad. Yeah, he got his bruises, but he had said that it was well deserved. It wasn't like he tried to simply beat the sense into him, which didn't seem like Slade at all. When he was Slade's apprentice, he had almost dislocated his arm, broken his ribs, had threatened him and his friends, and tried to make Robin do things that he normally wouldn't do in any circumstance. But what made him change his tactics this time around? Had Slade changed since he came back from his one month-long hiatus? Had he just realized that breaking the hero would be no good? Or, wait, maybe this wasn't Slade to begin with. Maybe he was a robot! Okay, no, he had seen him eat. Though, that couldn't prove anything. Well, maybe one could rule out the robot theory. That was way too childish. All kinds of 'maybe' possibilities were jumping in and out of Robin's mind. But, to be honest, after so little, good night's rest and this early in the morning, no matter how much of a morning bird he usually was, today, thinking just didn't work for him.

Maybe he should just rest off the case, get ready, and then meet Slade. He could think more on it later. Perhaps at a better time when he was awake? Yeah, good plan. For now: shower. He stank of dry sweat from rolling on the bed and his hair was stuck in the weirdest position ever.

Robin carefully stepped onto the floor, leaving the warm comforters behind. The floor of Slade's room was cold but luckily free of dirt. The room was dimly lit, so he had to search the walls for an on/off switch to light it up. He remembered that there was one near the bathroom door. So he slowly made his way there, taking small steps to avoid any objects that he could potentially fall over on his way. It must have seemed amusing if someone had entered the room at that exact moment. The fearless leader of the Teen Titans, in a dark room, taking baby steps, and having his arms firmly against his sides to avoid colliding with anything.

Pushing the stupid and senseless thoughts to the furthest back of his mind, Robin searched for the light switch once he was at the bathroom door. When he flipped the switch, the light spread into the dark room, brightening the whole space with a white light, expelling the shadows under Slade's desk where the light didn't reach. It hurt his eyes only for the slightest moment, after he blinked twice and rubbed them. He then took a quick glance around the room for any hint of Slade's presence. Not finding any, he whirled around and sneaked inside.

The shower woke him up from his drowsy state. Or at least it made him feel more alert to his surroundings. He was still tired and felt as if he'd fall back to sleep the moment he closed his eyes. But he couldn't have that now could he? Who knew if it was midday or maybe even midnight? Robin sure couldn't tell. This suddenly made him realize how much he missed being outside. Seeing the sun and enjoying the warmth and the cool wind was like heaven to him. Well, at least he still had his showers if he so wished. He enjoyed the warm water that flowed on his skin, making small rivers on his back and gluing his hair against his scalp. He had his eyes set on the floor, where he could see the water flow to the drain. He also saw the water drops form on the tips of his hair and then slowly drip to join the rest. The water always made his mind cool down and let him concentrate better on the task at hand.

Robin wasn't very proud of himself today. How long had he even been there with Slade? Which day of their deal was it? Okay, it was the third day, he remembered, but the total amount of time was unknown. He had been near unconscious for the first few days. He wondered if his friends were worried. What would they say if they heard that he had been with Slade this whole time and that he'd been killing imaginary people in a simulator? Would they say, "these things happen, there's no need to worry over it too much"? Would they take him back and give him a huge hug after being so long apart or would they freak out? He hoped it was nothing too serious. Starfire was likely to be confused but would welcome him back with open arms. Raven would probably be suspicious. Beast Boy and Cyborg would probably just deal with it. They weren't the type to let worries bother them that much. Maybe he shouldn't either, for now. He had four more days, plus tomorrow, until he saw his friends again. It was probably for the best to not worry about it for too long. If what Slade said was true, he could walk back to them with no real threat. Maybe he could say that he decided to go stay over at Bruce's until he got better. Raven probably wouldn't buy that, but wouldn't object to it either.

Robin now turned off the shower before the water ran cold. Slade probably wouldn't appreciate it if he used all the hot water and be late from wherever he was supposed to be today. What was Slade up to? Darn, all these questions made him go nuts. He had been there for more than two days and he still didn't have any new answers since the start. Maybe he could finally just relax. Slade hadn't tried anything too bad yet. He was not being chased down nor had he been made to hurt any real people. Maybe Robin just needed to keep a low profile, bite his tongue for the next five days, and then act like nothing ever happened. He could pull that off he was sure. That way, he wouldn't need to make himself even more confused. Maybe he would even learn something from all this. Hell, he had already learned something. He had made it out of the ventilation system alive, hadn't he?

That's it. From now on, Robin wouldn't pay any mind to Slade's motives. He had been thinking his head off and now he was finally ready to give it up. From now on, he'd focus on the moment and keep looking at his surroundings. He'd study Slade and this place.

Finally done with the shower, Robin searched for a towel. He dried his hair roughly, almost as if he was trying to rub in his change of plans. As he dried his whole body of water, he did a quick glimpse of his reflection in the mirror. His hair was once again pointing in all directions known to man, his skin was slightly paler that normal, he had a couple of bruises here and there—most from small accidents, like the one when he almost fell into the trap—but otherwise he was fine. And, once again, he had to remind himself, that it could have been worse. Slade had treated him fairly well, seeing as he normally didn't care about strays and believed in the real meaning of living to kill. Robin knew that he would have his way if he really wanted to; he had been with Slade before. But back then his condition wasn't great.

Shaking his head, Robin stepped out of the bathroom, entering the main area with his towel hanging comfortably on his hips. He knew that his clothes were taken to be washed by bots, so he went to look for another set from the closet. As he dressed, he wondered where Slade was, but as his stomach grumbled, he decided that he could go looking for him. Starting in the kitchen. Now that he thought about it, when was the last time he ate? Way too long ago that was for sure.

As Robin stepped out of Slade's room, he was pulling his gloves on. He wasn't completely sure about the kitchen's location and his mind scolded him for not paying enough attention. It was high time he finally stopped whining about "poor me, being stuck here with Slade. Oh whatever will I do?" and actually do something about it. From today on, he'd turn the tables around. He wasn't going to be on the losing side anymore.

With newly found determination, Robin started to search for the kitchen, with hunger rising every passing minute. He had already found and memorized the way to the gym, training hall, and one random computer room, but the kitchen still wasn't in sight. He would have taken a sneak peek on the computers if the door wasn't jammed shut. The only thing he could do was stare through the bulletproof window. He didn't get distracted for long as he tried to smell the air for food. When someone was cooking in Titans Tower, one could even smell it from the garage. Starfire's cooking were especially hard to miss. It took him a while, but after he finally found it, Robin went straight for the fridge and dug out some food. He pulled out bread, butter, some cheese and sausage to go with it, and a carton of milk to praise himself for a job well done. He piled all the ingredients in his arms and then headed to the table. He almost dropped all of them on the floor as he saw the sight before him. He just barely managed to catch them.

"Morning, Robin. Aren't you an early bird today?" Slade asked with a smile, sitting at the table while drinking coffee with a newspaper spread open.

How come Robin hadn't seen him when he entered the room? He didn't want to present himself to Slade as anything other than the fearless leader of the Teen Titans, but that was probably too late now.

"What time is it exactly?"

"It is almost six o'clock. Not that early perse, but lately you have been sleeping like a sack of potatoes; heavy and almost completely out of it."

Slade took a sip of his morning coffee, which Robin didn't see because he had his eyes on the food in front of him. But when he heard the sipping sound, he instantly looked up, but he had been too slow to witness the event.

'_Worry not Slade. Some day, I promise you, I will find out what you look like under that darn mask.'_

Mumbling something under his breath that might have sounded something similar to, "didn't sleep that well, who's fault you think it was, and it's none of your business anyway", Robin took his seat next to Slade. As he started to munch on the corner of his bread, he noticed how he was still slightly tired. However, he was way more hungry, so he willed his jaw to work more efficiently. His eyes started to droop slightly as the tiredness was coming back to him now that he was sitting still. He hoped that he wouldn't actually fall asleep. He wouldn't hear the end of it. And he didn't want to show weakness in front of Slade. Suddenly smirking, Robin tried to hide it by taking a sip of milk from his glass. If he did fall asleep and hit his head on the table, he'd hopefully spill some of the milk on Slade. He deserved it anyway.

Slade, on the other hand, felt something between being amused and mesmerized. He was amused by how grumpy Robin seemed this exact morning. He had always known him to be an early bird, hence the name, but now he seemed to be almost as activate in the mornings as a snake in winter. And he thought he had been going easy on him. Besides, he had plans for today. He wasn't going to change his agenda for some kind of post-illness weariness. At this point Slade took another sip of his coffee and was surprised how Robin didn't even seem to notice and try to have a glimpse under. Not that he could anyways. Slade had made sure that if anything was to go unplanned, there was nothing to reveal of himself. Besides, he had made an oath to not let Robin see his face. Not before he was a willing and obedient apprentice anyway. He would make a darn good apprentice someday. Who knows, maybe Slade would succeed on what Batman failed at, namely getting some discipline in that thick skull of Robin's.

Batman had taken a harsh approach on Robin, trying to push him aside but still beat the daylights out of him with endless hours of practice. One should know by now that the stubborn teen wasn't one to be held back. As far as Slade knew, that was the exact reason Robin left Gotham and Batman behind. What he needed was free range and no boundaries. What Slade wanted from him was a good partner. He'd learn to cope someday. That's why he took a new tactic on trying to bend Robin over. Since brute force and having harsh, overprotective father-like behavior and the utmost urge to keep him in the dark no matter what didn't work—which he noticed during the apprentice arc—he decided to take the casual approach. He'd be a solid ground for Robin and, if he'd get used to his presence, maybe he'd come crawling back like a dog that had been accustomed to its master's house.

Slade had fallen from his reverie and came back to earth, seeing Robin munching on his second slice of bread. To be honest, he was sure that Robin would get accommodated rather quickly. To state his point, he had willingly entered the kitchen and started preparing food for himself with no questions asked. He was already acting as if this was his own home. He had already gotten more familiar with Slade and his quarters had he not? Who knows, maybe one week is all it took for Robin to endorse this place as his very own home. Maybe one day he'd start to doubt which was actually better: the tower and his friends or here with Slade. The chances were pretty slim, but it wasn't impossible. Everyone knew, that at some point, teenagers started to doubt themselves and their place and run away from home to the streets or the circus, just because their parents rubbed them the wrong way. All it would take for Robin to return back to Slade was to notice that there was something here that he didn't have anywhere else. Like a dog, he'd return to his master.

Slade grinned under his mask with attainment as he disposed the newspaper. He took the final sip of his coffee, then placed the mug on the solid surface of the table. Robin was sitting next to him, eyes half shut, while he finished his bread slowly. He looked exhausted, but still kind of mesmerizing. His lips moved slowly as he munched on the bread, at times licking his lips to moisten them. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower, pointing weirdly in places despite combing it before going to the kitchen. Robin didn't move his head much as he ate and it seemed that he had been staring at Slade's coffee cup this whole time. Too bad he couldn't see his eyes from under the mask. One couldn't even know if he had fallen asleep because it hid his eyes. But _damn_ did Robin look absolutely stunning and mesmerizing at the same time. He would have loved to rip that annoying inconvenience of a mask off his face. Why the hell had he approved on him having one in the first place? Slade didn't notice that he had been staring until Robin had already finished his last bite of bread and was now licking the smears of butter off his fingertips. He then reached for the milk carton to fill his glass. Slade couldn't much but be glad that he hadn't noticed anything. Which made him think: what was Robin thinking about? Something seemed to be taking his attention elsewhere. He hadn't even noticed him when he had woken up during the night to brush the locks of hair out of his face. Robin had only tried to swat his hand away out of reflex and hit it on the nightstand in the process. When he woke up, it was already too late to see what had caused it; Slade had already disappeared from the room.

Slade politely coughed to catch Robin's attention and then proceeded to tell him about the day's events. "Robin, today I will take your training to the next level. I see you are already back into shape, so I see no reason to delay this any longer than I have." Slade dug into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook to look at. He checked a couple of dates and ran his eyes through the supplies list in one fast motion. Once done, he nodded, marking an OK on the lower right corner. "I'm not going to go into any details of this case yet, seeing that you have not earned the knowledge. So no questions."

Slade snapped the notebook shut and placed it back in his pocket.

"Hey wait, so what do you need me for?" Robin retorted, noticing that he had just been denied something. "I'm not going to do anything for you if you don't tell me why or for what!"

Slade couldn't help but smirk. "Don't worry Robin, it's nothing that bad. No killing whatsoever. I just have my hands full in this case of mine, so I'll send you over to get what I need for me. That is, if you can prove to me that you can be sent out on a mission as important as that. But don't worry, before any mission, I will give you a small briefing of the case; what you are after, what your rules are, and your deadlines. Easy as that."

"These items you need, what do you need them for?" Robin asked, seemingly digesting and pondering this new information.

"As I told you, no questions. You'll see later if you are worthy."

Robin's mind was going haywire at this point. So Slade was setting him out to do missions? Already? Outside of the base? Could he escape if he tried? Maybe he'd see the Titans out there. Wait, did he even want them to see him? If they'd see him, wearing Slade's colors no less, it might shock them… No, it _would_ shock them. But wait, did that mean Slade trusted him enough to send him out and come back? Or did he rely that badly on the promise they made?

Robin couldn't help but ask, "So, how will these…missions be arranged?"

"That will be seen later, once you go out on your first mission," Slade explained. "But know this: you can't just decide to _return_ to your friends. If you disobey the set rules, you will be punished. If you are successful, you'll be rewarded. And don't you worry, I will be informed of any moves you make. If you cross the boundaries of your mission, I will know."

Slade adjusted his glove. Robin chewed on his bottom lip, seemingly weighing things in his head. "And how _will_ you know?"

Slade didn't lift his eye from his glove. "That, too, will be for you to find out. Who knows, maybe you'll never go on a mission. Maybe you are not worthy."

This made Robin think even harder. What did he mean not worthy? And why couldn't he tell him anything yet? Robin decided not to try his luck at asking that specific question, but another.

"When do these missions take place?"

This time, Slade lifted his eye to meet Robin's. He leaned slightly closer. "Again, whoever said you'll get to go on one? Robin, I need to be sure that you can be sent out there. So you are to face one final test, to prove that you're suitable for these missions. You pass, you get some fresh air and new objectives. You fail, you will remain indoors. It will be seen if you have what it takes. So the question remains: will you pass?"


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Hello my dear and loved fans! I have some good news for you all! You have been waiting for this chapter eagerly, I bet, and now you have been granted! I have written the story to chapter 27 already, and there is one more chapter to go before it's finished! You hear me right, the story is ALMOST FINISHED! Now we'll only have to do some mass load of editing, and we may be even able to keep a weekly or at least somewhat regular updating pace going on! Me and SladinForever are on the editing so you can have this story! Though, we'd appreciate some help in editing *wink wink* **Seriously, are there anyone willing to help us edit these chapters?**

Once TYM is written, I'm plannning on starting another, more easy going, story for you all, but we'll talk about this later.

Also, some **warning**s: Let's ignore the disclaimer, everyone knows I don't own anything. But, I would like to warn you now, even if there may not have been too much of M material so far, **it's coming in the future chapters.** **So I warn you if anything of these themes makes you feel uncomfortable, blease back off NOW** while you still have the chance: nudity, sexual acts, graphic gay sex, body hair, a human body part called foreskin which you poor americans haven't heard of, wanking, I like Starfire as a characters so I wont bash her, No sugargoating some of those things your usual fics leave unmentioned, oh, and I guess we have violence and some dead character here and there... and an OC which I hate bloody much and am intending to kill in very painful way if I'd only know HOW. oh, and there might be a mention on cross dressing? yup, that too. and what else? While you have been tapping you foot on the floor waiting for updates I have been slaving my ass of to write this damn story. And when I had no critic or a fan screaming at me "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" I went and did it ALL. no-voices in my head went "Hay, Kaz, that may be a bad idea..." so heh, you'll just have to wait and see. Be afraid, be VERY afraid.

**I just wish to remind you that this story is M for a reason, and it is going to have Slade/Robin pairing in it.** And I seriously hope that it will be worth it since some of the contect was rather challenging to write and I hope that it turned out right.

With much love: Kazhiru; I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

Robin was in an unknown room. The nervousness crept under his skin, like ants marching in his veins. It felt as if someone was poking him with millions of small, sharp needles, impaling his fingers, toes, and the very tip of his cheekbones. They crept upwards and he soon felt them on the back of his neck, along his spine, and on the very back of his skull. Robin couldn't quite place if the nervousness was entirely because of the test or Slade himself. He had told him to meet him there and the time he had set was only five minutes away. But Slade himself hadn't entered the room. Robin wasn't quite sure why he felt so nervous in the first place. This was one of Slade's meaningless, stupid tests and Robin didn't need to prove anything to him.

Then why was he feeling so nervous? Why did he feel as if he needed to be on his toes and perform as well as he could to not disappoint Slade? Why was he here in the first place? One small voice in the back of Robin's mind told him it was because he secretly wanted Slade to admit he was talented. The other small voice told him that he shouldn't listen to anything that he was told. Slade was evil, bad, and on the wrong side of the law. Robin should have nothing to do with him. He should make a stop to anything he might be up to. And the most important thing was to not listen to anything he might say, and never, _ever_, bend to his will.

He felt wrong for being there. He felt as if he was in the wrong place and that he was currently doing something he shouldn't. And yet he was, dare he say it, eager to know what was coming. Yet Slade had not shown up. It made him anxious. He had checked the room multiple times in the small amount of time he had already spent there. The room looked like a normal, but spacious hall. It was obviously meant for gymnastics but was stripped bare of any kind of exercising equipment. The room was wider than a basketball court, but much smaller than a football field. It was somewhat overwhelming to think that Slade had such multiple wide rooms and huge headquarters somewhere all around Jump City. Hell, maybe even all around the world. Robin didn't know where they were, how big they were, or what they were for. Even this, which he currently vacated, was huge enough to fit a small military. Yet, he barely explored it at all. The only man who would know about any of this would be Slade and everyone knew that he wasn't giving up any kind of information about anything that he considered his.

And now that he was back on the subject of Slade, where was he? He should have been there already. It was a minute to the set time and Robin was nervous, anxious, and not to mention slightly peeved. And then the doors opened. He could hear the sharp hiss of air as they did. With long, strong steps, Slade walked to the middle of the room where Robin was already waiting.

"Good morning again, Robin. Punctual as always." Slade cracked his neck to get rid of all the kinks.

"Unlike some people…" Robin muttered under his breath.

Slade heard it and remarked, "No, Robin, I'm perfectly on time. Not one minute late, not one minute early." Slade held his hands behind his back and stepped chest-to-chest with him. "But I have not requested you here so that you could bicker, but to perform a test." Robin could bet that Slade played out the _s_ of the word "test" as he said it. Somehow imagining him doing anything similar to it seemed, well…not Slade like. Or maybe this was the other side of him that he refrained to show others. Robin didn't know, but now that the perfect opportunity to put his investigative skills presented itself to him, he couldn't just say no to the offer. Humming his agreement to Slade as a sign to continue, he soon started to fill in the facts. "This test is, among other things, supposed to determinate if you can be sent outside this base or not." Robin nodded to this, having heard this before. "In other words, you are to perform a small track course I have set for you, which will take place in this very room. Judging by your performance, we'll see if you can be trusted to be let outside of this base. I personally hope that you will show some…ah…promising results. I hope you can play by the rules."

"What rules?"

"Just two. One, use your ears to listen for any kind of helpful sounds and voices and, two, do not hesitate."

Slade started to pick inside his pouches of his belt while Robin nagged about the first rule. "What do you mean listen to your surroundings? I have eyes you know. And what could possibly be there to hear but not see?"

Completely ignoring him, Slade held something in his hand while hiding it from view. "Robin, could you take a look at this? I need you to examine it for me."

As curious as Robin was of the item held in Slade's now open palm, he took a step closer to take a good look at it. It was small, barely the size of a marble. It looked like a small gray ball with a black, camera-like lens in the middle of it. It seemed as if something was carved around the lens. Having to take a closer look to read what it was, Robin reached for the marble and held it close to his eyes, almost touching the marble with the material of his mask.

"There's small text on it that says…"

Robin couldn't finish. His eyes suddenly started to hurt and a white light filled his vision. He had to close his eyes to block it. And goddammit did it hurt. His eyes were tearing up under the mask, feeling itchy and dry. It felt as if his eyes were suddenly full of dirt and no matter how much he tried to blink, the feeling didn't go away. At first his eyes had gone dry and itchy. But the more he blinked, the more his eyes seemed to tear up. He had to use his hands to try rubbing them through his mask, to settle down the uneasy feeling. He could bet that his eyes were red and bloodshot. He tried to rub them the best he could, all the while feeling his tears absorb into the depths of his mask. Some had even managed to slip their way under the edges and were now pouring down his face. He tried to wipe them off the best to his abilities, not wanting Slade to see him in such a state. He couldn't believe how easily he had fallen into such an obvious trap. He had taken it like an offered piece of candy!

Regardless of all his efforts, Robin couldn't shake off the itchy feeling. The only thing he could still see was white, which was slowly starting to fade to black with a dark, purplish hue. He had to rub his eyes through the material of his mask to get the black and purple blur to set in on solid black. Once he opened his eyes, he saw nothing. His sight was as dark as if he was standing in the middle of a pitch black night. Not a single outline, shape, movement, or even a blink of light could be seen and he was starting to panic. That was low, even for Slade. Especially for him.

"How dare you! How dare you blind me! You bastard, what is this about!" Robin demanded, yelling at Slade, wherever he thought he stood.

Robin even expressed his extreme disapproval by scowling and swearing. A deep laugh filled the hall, which was once filled with the bright light. Robin had to stop his cursing so he could hear him out, now that he couldn't see him. He would need to use his other senses to read Slade, even though he couldn't normally, eyes open or not.

"Robin, Robin, Robin. This is all part of the test. I knew there wasn't a way to make you blind just by politely asking…"

"Damn right there isn't!" Robin cut in, but Slade quickly overpowered him with his own voice.

"Yet, now that it's over and done with, we may proceed." Robin could hear a faint ruffling of clothes, probably Slade stepping forward. Soon, a soft, silk-like material was laid on Robin's eyes. Before the cloth could be tied behind his head, a thought crossed his mind. He wanted to jump backwards and claw Slade's eye out, now that he was close enough, but he held himself back, not wanting to show Slade his uncertainty. So he merely nudged his head backwards. "No, no Robin, let me tie your eyes. Just to be sure you won't peek."

Slade laughed as he finished off his sentence, sounding evil and even smug as if he knew darn well that Robin couldn't see anything, no matter if he had the blindfold on or not.

"I hate you," Robin said, sounding stern, sharp, and with passion in every word.

"Well isn't that a shame," Slade mumbled.

When the knot was finished, Slade stepped back. By the sound of fading footsteps, he was also walking away. Robin growled.

"Where are you going? Don't leave me here!"

Soon the steps stopped and the room was completely silent. Was Slade gone? Did he leave? What was going on?

"Let the test begin," Slade announced, the room starting to come alive.

Robin would never admit that he was afraid of what would happen. The noises around him made him jump to the tips of his toes, ready to sprint the moment the floor under him started to move. They were loud, screechy, and booming. It sounded as if something was being dragged on the metal floor. It also sounded like something really heavy was moving around and, to boot, the floor was shaking. All around him he could hear the sound of air whooshing as the pressure was released and once again sealed. Soon, he felt a powerful wind, which was accompanied with a loud hissing sound as the air aimed straight at his cheek. He would never admit that he jumped at least ten feet to the side when he felt it. Not even if Slade had millions of security cameras with more than enough proof that he had done just that. His heart was stuck in his throat the whole time.

Soon, the most horrible noise of them all, a metallic screech, like something similar to a huge metal valve beginning to turn around, released a huge amount of air. With a loud bang and a hiss, he heard what sounded like two clocks and, not soon after, a noise like someone was hitting a metal bar against a wall. Then it sounded like something was falling. Air swooshed as it moved at a high velocity. Then two similar screeches were emitted, both sounding like nails scraping against a chalkboard, and then the falling sound again. Robin's brain quickly acknowledged what it was: a pendulum. A huge godforsaken pendulum. Robin didn't have time to listen to the sound for long as something to his left made a noise that reminded him of someone taking the pin out of a grenade. The noise that followed was an exact match of someone welding two metals together with heat, just like a flamethrower. The radiating heat licked the left side of his torso and made his hair fry slightly and smell burnt. He could feel the heat on his skin and it felt as if he was standing too close to a bonfire or holding his hand mere millimeters away from a stove.

Instinctively, Robin jumped away from the fire and started to fuss with his hair to see if it was still intact, only to get startled by the pendulum coming back down and making him jump again, this time slipping on the edge of a platform and falling. He could feel as if all the blood in his veins stopped or rushed right into his ears. It felt as if he was falling several feet. He was prepared to hit the floor and break his legs, only to notice that it had barely been a one foot fall. Still, it was enough to get him tumbling off his feet, falling on his side like a toddler that still couldn't walk properly. He was ashamed of this. Then the platform fell five inches. He was now in a starfish-like position, holding onto the platform for dear life. Once again, he heard a puff of wind and the platform started to travel downwards. It was moving down slowly and steadily, like an elevator.

Goddammit, it probably was an elevator. Robin was probably lying on it with limbs spread out and nails digging into the metal surface. Even his heart was in his throat. Slade must have been so amused by this. He was probably having the time of his life, filming all this on tape and laughing while doing so. "Best apprentice ever", that's who he was. Robin wanted to scream and rage, but, at the same time, he didn't want to give the man such a pleasure.

Swallowing a huge lump of worry and nervousness down his throat was Robin's first step of collecting himself. He soon lifted himself up to stand. He felt ashamed at how badly his knees shook. It was so weird not seeing what was going on. It seemed as if his balance was off. The fact that the platform he stood on was moving didn't help at all. When the platform stopped, Robin's knees almost gave way again. He managed to hold himself upright, only giving way half an inch. He so hoped that Slade hadn't seen that.

"_Your mission is simple. All you have to do is get to the end of the course. It isn't all that long or difficult, really. It's all up to you on how you will survive,"_ Slade explained.

His voice seemed to come from one set location, which was two feet above him and one foot to the right. Also, a small whirring noise emitted close-by. Robin's best guess was that Slade used some kind of small electronic device to watch over and speak to him. Robin wasn't quite sure if he should feel glad that he didn't have to do all of this alone or if he should feel annoyed that he was tricked into doing this in the first place. All he got was a small piece of scrap metal to babysit him. But, for once, Robin couldn't lie to himself; he had never been more grateful to hear Slade's voice.

"_You better start now. You have thirty feet of plain ground ahead,"_ Slade informed him over the transmitter. There were still more than enough noises all around him and Robin could still hear the pendulum ahead and the fire crackling behind him. There were so many noises that Robin expected almost anything around him to jump on him, slice him and dice him, and cook him up if he let his guard down. It definitely wasn't an all too encouraging setting. _"Proceed straight ahead." _

Robin could hear the small device floating over his head. It stopped somewhere ahead of him, not too far away. He was thankful that the machine hadn't gone wandering on its own and leaving him there alone. Robin had to gulp again. The only way for this hellish experience to end was to live through it. The faster he got it done, the faster it was over. And with this as his objective and reassurance, Robin took his first step.

To be quite honest, Robin had expected something terrible to happen the moment his feet landed on the floor. Something like the panels moving or triggering a hidden switch, which would let bullets shoot at him or some random flamethrowers appearing, but nothing happened. Everything was the same as it had been before. Robin shook his worry from his shoulders. Maybe this track course was easy. Maybe it just had sounded bad; maybe he was just imagining things. Without his eyes, he could never be too sure on what was real and what wasn't. Thus he took the next step. It was safe, so far. Even if he had taken baby steps on this small incline, it seemed like he had made some great progress. So far nothing had happened, so maybe he was safe.

Robin took a small mental pause to collect himself and drop his defenses a little. To be honest, all this nervousness was getting to him. So, putting it all aside, he took his tenth step. Just as his boot landed on the metal surface, a loud hiss emitted from his left and a turret of air hit him, making him jump to the right in surprise. Just as he did so, he noticed that there wasn't any floor to land on. Surprise and panic came back twice as hard. Robin tried to turn himself in mid-air and extend his hands in order to grab something, anything. Thank god he managed to grab hold of the platform he had just been standing on. "Oh shit" had formed into a mental mantra, repeating time after time in Robin's mind.

"Slade? What's going on!"

"Help" was a word Robin would never say to Slade, but right now, it was on the tip of his tongue.

"_I told you to go ahead."_

Robin was starting to lose his nerves and his grip was starting to slip. "You told me there was thirty feet of plain, solid ground ahead!"

Robin only received a deep voice with an I-told-you-so edge to it, repeating, "Ahead, Robin. Ahead."

Slade's expression was now probably something between 'I'm highly amused' and 'shit this kid is stupid. I wonder if I can get him to jump if I ask'.

"Fuck you Slade, just, fuck you!"

Robin started to pull himself up. He didn't know, nor did he want to know, what was below him. He had been shoulders deep in that pitfall from a few days back. If he couldn't feel any floor under his feet, it probably was far enough of a fall to break his neck.

"_Well, seeing the situation-"_ Slade began, but Robin had had his share.

"Just shut up with your snide, clever remarks! Save it until I get out of here! I don't want to hear it!"

Robin soon managed to pull himself up on all fours on the platform.

"_Now, now, no need to be aggressive. Proceed to the right,"_ Slade said plainly.

Robin was glad that he had managed to shut him up. The situation he was in was bad enough. Robin was still on all fours and he reached with his hands to see if he could measure the area he had to walk on. It was no more than four feet. Usually it would be more than plenty, but now it seemed like way too little. Robin closed his eyes and shook his head slightly to get rid of the nervousness again and then proceeded to walk on. He hoped that he wouldn't start to walk slightly to the side. Once again, a step triggered an air blast to hit him. The air wasn't strong enough to knock him down or even hurt him, but it was enough to make goosebumps form on his skin and to make him lose his balance only so slightly that one wouldn't even notice he had stumbled in the first place. It wasn't too bad, Robin decided, and started to walk onwards, hands spread to his side for extra balance. This, of course, meant that the gusts could hit him in the ribs and make it ticklish or have a poking feeling. Other than that, it wasn't half bad, now that he knew what to expect at least. Robin had to wonder, though, about his destination. He was finally at the end of his plain ground, as Slade had put it, having walked a slick uphill the whole time. It kept going as Slade instructed Robin to proceed to the right.

"_To proceed, you will have to take a huge leap. The other platform is quite far,"_ Slade instructed. Robin gulped. He knew that he could jump, but it was hard to gain the confidence to do so when you couldn't see when or where to leap to the next platform. Was it high or low? Was it really far away or could he get there by taking a long step? What if the platform was slightly to the left? Would he land on the edge and roll off? _"There is some space ahead of you. You may want to run if you're nervous of missing the platform."_ Just to be sure, Robin pointed straight ahead of him to confirm the exact way. _"I will tell you to jump once you are at the edge. Now go."_

At a slow pace, Robin accelerated to a rather slow paced run. To be honest, he didn't dare run at too high a speed. What if he couldn't jump in time once the order to jump came? What if he fell? What if he kept running to the side slightly and ran straight off the platform? What if there was some kind of obstacle on the floor and he would either hit it or trip on it?

"_Robin, your speed is not going to be enough. You'll need to run faster."_ Robin quickened his pace, but only slightly. _"You'll never make it if you can't go faster."_ Robin wasn't exactly jogging anymore, but it still wasn't a clean run either. _"Robin, your speed is nowhere fast enough,"_ Slade repeated. Somehow, Robin could imagine a small hint of worry in his voice. That couldn't be right. _"Run faster, Robin."_ Slade was kidding, right? He couldn't be worried, could he? _"You're not going to make it. Sprint, sprint now!"_ He _wasn't_ kidding, now, was he? Shit, he probably wasn't. Oh god, he really wasn't going to make it, was he? Robin's heart was suddenly back in his throat. He started to run as fast as his lungs allowed him. He had to make it, he had to get to the other side. Maybe it would be best to reach forward with his hands, to be prepared to grab a ledge? _"Run fast. Now, jump!" _

The moment Slade's order shouted out of the small device, Robin all but leaped from his spot and, with hands spread forward, was ready to grab a hold of whatever it was that he was going to hit. He was sure that he was going to smash against something bad at any moment now. But, instead of getting smashed, Robin felt the floor under him. He had fallen straight onto his stomach and the air in his lungs were knocked out as he landed and slid on the floor for four or five feet. He tried to dig his hands into the floor to stop himself from sliding and falling off a ledge to certain death. Soon, the sliding came to a halt and Robin gasped in air as hard as he could to get the air back into his lungs once again. It hurt, as if someone was hammering on his chest with a steel-head hammer. He could taste iron in the spit in his throat and it hurt to breath.

"_Quick, Robin, get back to your feet. You can't stay there,"_ Slade announced. Robin forced himself to stand. _"There are spiraling stairs to your left. You must quickly run up there." _

"Seriously, what is it with the hurry?"

Robin took a step, panting. He still had adrenaline pumping hard in his veins and the banging in his ears was almost drowning out the pendulum further away. The sting in his lung wasn't giving him any slack. Out of nowhere, the step under him collapsed. Robin had to leap forward to the next step on the stairs, only to have it collapsing too. He seriously had to leap again and start running if he ever wanted to get to the top of the stairs before the top came down on him. Once again, the mantra of "oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" was urgently back on his mind.

"_Keep running, Robin,"_ Slade encouraged.

Robin let go of his chest in order to climb the stairs on all fours, dragging himself upward. Climbing was even harder, now that the stairs went in a spiral.

"Seriously, Slade? Are you trying to kill me?"

Oh god he wished he could see so he could grab that small device of Slade's, crush it between his fingers, stomp on it, then let the pendulum slice and dice it, and then grill it with the flamethrowers.

"_No, but the room just might. You are almost to the top." _

The stairs under his feet and knees just gave way and Robin was sure that he was going to fall. Luckily, the adrenaline forced strength into his limbs, allowing him to pull himself back on the stairs and keep going.

"You better be right about that!" Robin yelled, as he continued to climb for his life.

"_Four more stairs left."_ Robin decided to fuck the stairs and just leap onto the next platform. With all his might, he managed to land his upper body on said platform. Only his feet were hanging off the edge. He almost lost his hold on the floor due to the fling as his feet suddenly slacked down. Oh how he wished that he could see and grab something for a good grip. No one had any idea on how hard it was to pull their body up onto a surface if they couldn't get one knee or leg on it. But thank god he was flexible enough to fling his leg up and land his heel on the floor. He pushed and pulled himself up the rest of the way and then stood up. By now, Robin was panting hard. It must have been because of the adrenaline and the burn out that came after it. _"Now Robin, there is a round, circular-shaped wall ahead of you. A small hole is in it, so you need to crawl through to the room beyond." _

With a tired nod of his head, Robin complied. It took him a while to find said hole in the wall, but, in the end, it had been straight ahead of him. It was large enough for him to easily crawl inside the room. The walls were at least twenty centimeters thick. By the feel of it, the walls were made out of the same steel as the platforms. He heard a loud whoosh of air traveling through a pneumatic air tube and the door behind him closed off. At first Robin started to panic. He tried to pry the door open and slam his fists on it, but it didn't budge. He was trapped now. He was just about to start shouting when he smelled something familiar, something weird even. It smelled of mustard and something sweet, of chocolate and dust, cold air, and pretty much everything, all at the same time. And it was such a distinctive smell too. Usually one couldn't smell that scent anywhere, especially not at the same time. You would have to know Starfire to- Starfire! No, it couldn't be; she wasn't there. She was at the tower, like everyone else. Unless Robin was somehow there too? He had been climbing up, after all. Maybe he was somewhere close? No, he couldn't be. That was insane.

"Friends, we should get back home. Silkie must be missing us."

No, that was Starfire's voice!

"Cy, I'm so going to beat you once we get back to the tower!"

"Ha, like that is ever going to happen!"

It was Beast Boy and Cyborg!

"Could you two stop?"

Raven? Yes, they were all there! Robin was ecstatic. He started to blindly travel further into the room, trying to get to his friends.

"Guys, it's me! I'm here!"

"_Robin, do you hear me? You need to get out of that room,"_ Slade said, making Robin stop.

He was still on the track course with Slade, so his friends couldn't be there, could they?

"Friend Robin, is that you? We have missed you so much!" Starfire said.

Robin lifted his head to the voice, trying to find his way to it. "Starfire, I'm here. Can you see me?"

"Robin, you must come with us."

Robin stumbled on until he hit a wall.

"_Robin, you need to get out of that room, now. It isn't safe!"_ Slade said, but Robin shook it off.

"Starfire, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Robin."

It was Starfire again. This time she was to the left.

"_Robin, I need you to get out of there, now!"_ Slade yelled.

Robin was too concentrated on his friends' voices to listen to him. It seemed as if his friends were walking away, their voices getting further away.

"Guys, you are going the wrong way! I'm behind you!" Robin yelled, trying to gain a response.

"_Robin, you need to listen to me,"_ Slade said. _"You only have a minute left. Get out!"_

Robin wasn't listening. "Starfire?"

"Robin!" The yell didn't come from Starfire, but an angry Slade. His friends, they must be in this very room, but he couldn't see them! He could hear them, he could smell them… _"Get out of that room! It's extremely dangerous!"_ Dangerous his ass, nothing had happened yet. But on the other hand, Starfire would already be with him if she knew Robin was there too. Something wasn't right. _"Robin, you're wasting time. Get out of there this instant!" _

There was a certain urgency in Slade's voice, but Robin didn't care. His friends were talking, he couldn't even hear voices outside of the room anymore. The only sound was of his friends. But, soon, he felt something pressing against the top of his head. It was cold and heavy. He lifted his hands to feel what it was. Everywhere he felt, the only thing he could feel was the roof of the room. The roof… Shit, it was coming down on him!

"Robin!"

The shout came from two places at once. From Starfire's voice directly to the right of him and from Slade on his left. The roof was coming down at an alarming speed and he only had two ways to go: his friends and Slade.

"Robin, we have missed you the most."

Robin already reached for her, but it soon dawned on him. He needed to get out. Suddenly, Slade seemed more real. He couldn't see Starfire and she didn't seem to panic at the situation at all. This was a test, he was still on Slade's course, and he was failing. Fatally.

"I'm sorry Starfire!" Robin yelled, turning around and starting to crawl in Slade's direction.

"Robin, where are you going? Do not leave us behind," Starfire begged.

Soon, the other Titans were begging too. Everyone wanted Robin to turn around, pleading him to come back to them.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'll see you in half a week," Robin whispered, feeling for the way out.

He was already on the floor on his stomach and he could feel the roof against his back. He only had seconds before it would fully start to squeeze him into a pancake.

"You left us for him!" Starfire screeched just as Robin felt the door. Goddammit, the walls were twenty centimeters thick. He would have to crawl forward for twenty more centimeters in order to grab onto something if he ever wished to pull himself out in time. "You have betrayed us!" Robin had to seriously worm his way forward to reach for any sort of leverage. "You chose him over us! How could you!"

Robin gained his escape just as the wall started to pin him against the floor and the wall itself. "I'm sorry," he murmured and started to pull himself forward.

His chest was literally pinned against the floor and claustrophobia was settling in. He had yet to pull his legs out of the room. Oh god, he wasn't going to make it. Robin tried to kick the floor, pushing and pulling his way out with his hands and feet as hard as he could, his bones on the verge of cracking. Unfortunately, his feet just kept slipping on the metal floor.

'_I'm not going to die here, I'm not.'_

"Dammit, I'm out of here!" Robin yelled, almost like a battle cry.

Robin pushed with all his might. With a horrible scrape, he managed to pull his legs out of the room. Unfortunately, his feet were pinned. But luckily he wasn't going to die there. He bit his tongue and yanked his feet free, which threatened to break. Right as he was fully out, he heard a loud, heavy bang as the room shut. Robin gasped in lungfuls of air, only now realizing that he had been holding his breath when trying to pull himself out of the death trap. He lay on the floor for a while, trying to regain his strength and breath. Once he could breath normally, he felt red hot blood seep from wounds that he hadn't realized he had received. His body hurt like a bitch because it had almost been flattened. His pelvis ached and stung. He made sure nothing had broken and he wiggled all of his toes to make sure they were okay. They ached but were otherwise fine. He was sure his knee was bruised from the hard floor, but at least he was free. Hurting angrily, but free nonetheless.

Brain functionality soon set in and Robin grinned to himself. He made it out! He wanted to full out laugh, but he only managed the first attempt at a cry as he was, once again, reminded of his almost crushed legs and bruised knees, pelvis, and chest. He grimaced at the pain, but ignored it as he forced himself back up. These were only small bruises, Robin tried to remind himself. None of his ribs were actually broken, as he felt each one of them, just to be sure. It was only the smarting that made him feel this bad. And maybe the fact that he had just turned his back to his friends, no matter how artificial they may have been.

"Slade! Slade, I made it! I'm still in the game!"

"_Yes, barely,"_ Slade admitted, sounding sour. _"Shall we continue?"_ Robin's face almost fell. There was still more? At least he hoped that they were close to the finish line by now. _"There are platforms scattered all around. To reach them, you'll have to jump in the right direction."_

Robin sighed. They had to be close. Besides, since when had Slade been wrong about this?

"Where is the first one?" Robin asked in defeat.

"_Right in front of you." _

Robin felt the floor in front of him and then noted that the panel he was now standing on ended after one foot. "How far is the jump?" Robin questioned, placing himself so he could jump off with his right leg. The left still felt slightly mangled after the previous room.

"_Three feet. The rest are the same,"_ Slade said. Without further ado, Robin jumped. And, surprisingly enough, the next platform had been three feet away. Robin, of course, took the chance to examine the platform with his feet. It wasn't huge, for one. Five feet long or slightly more, shaped like a square. He would need to calculate his jumps to avoid overdoing it. _"The next one is ninety degrees to your right."_ And so it went on. There wasn't a specific order to the platforms, nor a specific amount of them. As far as Robin knew, they were there only for the sake of practice. _"The last platform is on the left."_ Robin managed it just fine. _"Good job, Robin. We are almost to the end. Can you guess what's up next?" _

And, to be honest, Robin could. Judging by the sound of something falling, screeching, and wind blowing again in multiple directions… Yup, the pendulums. He was already wondering when they'd come.

"_We'll need to time this one just right. Are you ready?" _Robin nodded. He knew that he might not be the most eager person to meet the pendulums, but he would never be anymore ready to face them than he currently was. He just wanted to get this course done with. The sound of the pendulums swinging was a scary thought. It sounded like they were huge, enormous even. The metal blades barely scraped the floor every time they moved, making Robin's ears ring. It wasn't a pleasant sound. _"Jump forward."_ And Robin jumped. Just as he landed back on his feet, he heard a huge screech behind him. No matter how ominous it sounded, he was glad that he heard it. It meant that it hadn't hit him. _"To the right, fast." _

Robin needed to make a jump and then somersault right after to avoid the blade. He felt the wind on his ankle as it passed him. That had been a close one. This must have been like playing a video game for Slade. Robin could only hope that he remembered that he only had one life.

"Where to, Slade?"

Robin could already hear the closest pendulum. It was right ahead of him and it was coming fast. It would hit the floor any moment now.

"_Forward!"_ Robin was about to reflexively jump backwards to avoid the blade, but after a millisecond of consideration, he jumped forward instead, just like Slade had instructed. Soon, he heard two blades hit the floor, one on either side of him. The moment they had moved away, a blade hit behind him. By the sound of it, it would have hit him if he had decided to jump backwards instead. How had he not managed to hear it? All he had heard were the two oncoming blades. Thank god he had listened to Slade instead of his own brain for once. Wait, he hadn't just thought that. _"Left!"_ Robin didn't have time to wonder his decision as he was already jumping that way, just barely avoiding double blades. _"Robin, sprint forward." _

Robin rose back onto his feet, forgetting the whole somersault technique and running for his life. He could hear the blades screeching behind him, one after another. They were coming down closer to him every time they landed. When was this over? How fast did he have to run? He almost ran full speed by now.

"_Stop!"_

Robin almost flew forward, could have possibly even smacked his face on the floor if he had fallen, by the sudden halt of his movement to stop in time. Just as he managed to straighten his back, the pendulum whooshed right in front of him. He could feel the floor shaking slightly beneath his feet. The iron floor even heated up momentarily, that's how close the blade had been to him. The wind rushed so close to his face that he could smell the metal of the pendulum. He started to doubt if he could ever will his heart back to where it was supposed to be. It was once again in his throat and the blood was rushing to his ears to the point that he almost missed the jump command. He leaped forward quickly before the pendulum whooshed back. Thank god it was behind him for now. Never again. He would swear it, never, ever, again.

"_You're almost there. You'll only have to climb up those ropes in front of you,"_ Slade informed him.

Robin reached forward with his hands, feeling the wall in front of him with his fingers. Sure enough, he could feel a thick net on the wall. This he could do. Easy peasy. Robin took a firm hold and started to climb upward. He pushed himself with his legs and pulled himself up with his hands. He didn't need to see to do this, he could just feel the places for his hands and feet as he went. It was easy and almost came naturally to him. Besides, it was just a rope net, he could climb up easily. Right on his judgment, the wall had only been about twenty feet tall, so he reached the top rather fast. Of course his legs and arms were hurting and his wounds were smarting because of the sweat that had entered them, but other than that, he was okay. It was really surprising, wasn't it? He was blind and hadn't seen a thing, but he still managed to get through the course. Hah, easy as pie. Next time, he'd do it with his hands tied behind his back.

Robin was at the very top of the place he stood. He could feel how slight the wind was blowing. He had been climbing upward the whole time, so he must be somewhere really high. The wind wasn't really gusty, but it was enough to make the tower-like platform he now stood on sway slightly. It didn't sway too bad, more like a few centimeters from left to right. It was enough to make him feel dizzy though. He even had to stand in a better position with his legs outspread some more, to keep himself balanced out.

"_Congratulations Robin, you have done it. There is only one thing left for you to do."_

Robin couldn't hold back a small smile. He had been blindfolded, but had still been able to do it. Also, it felt good to be praised for it at least once. More than that, however, he felt proud. But he couldn't celebrate yet. He had one thing more to do, right? Maybe he could take a small break after?

"What is it?" Robin asked, placing his arms around his torso to shield against the wind; his wounds smarted even more when it came into contact.

"_I need you to step onto the edge of the platform."_ Robin felt the floor ahead of him. The platform was the same kind of metal that the others had been and he could feel the edge with the tip of his toes. He stepped forward so that they were just barely on the platform. He couldn't wait to get down and get his wounds tended to. Maybe he would have a glass full of water while he was at it. _"Now, I want you to jump."_

Robin's smile dropped. What? He must not have heard right. He was not going to jump! He was at god knows how high up! He could be standing on top of a damn pillar for god's sake! For the entire course he had climbed upwards; a steep hill, the stairs, everything. He must be really high by now. Surely a drop this high would crush his bones to pieces. But what would the advantage for Slade be if he had a crippled apprentice? What was the catch?

"Slade?" Robin wasn't sure if he had heard right. Maybe he was to…jump back down the way he came? Now why would Slade have instructed him to stand at this edge if he wanted him to jump in another direction? Maybe he just didn't hear him the first time. Also, why hadn't Slade answered yet? "Slade!"

There was no answer. He wasn't meant to be answered. Robin swallowed. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was really nervous and not at all sure about what he should do. He slowly lifted his hands to the silky cloth that was still tied around his head to cover his vision. If only he could see. But he couldn't. And he probably never would if he couldn't get down. He would have to do this. Hell, he could do this. He would do this so he could have his vision back and to eventually get back to his friends. He had hand climbed all the way there and now it was time to get down. He could do this! And he would too!

_One. _

Robin shifted his weight again before covering his face. "Please, don't let anything hit my face," he mumbled under his breath, continuing to count mentally.

_Two._

Robin spread his right leg over the side of the pillar, ready to step over.

_Three._

Robin then stepped over the edge and fell.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** Look! We ARE maintianing weekly updates! Or at least we try : P

So let's feed the fans and post this chapter... OH! and mention that I finished writing TYM. all 28 chapters are written and done, only editing is left.

* * *

He seemed to fall for what seemed like forever. He felt the blood in every vein rush to his head, making his ears ring, stomach churn, and cause him to get goosebumps. As if on reflex, he already had his limbs spread, his arms flapping in the air in attempts to keep his body in a somewhat upright position. He also tried reaching for anything that might stop him from falling. He could feel the air blowing on him momentarily and making his hair stand on end. He felt so insecure and he was afraid that the moment he landed, he would break his legs. The fall must be enormous, he had been so high when he jumped. He had climbed upward the whole time, so the fall had to be worth at least thirty feet, though only god knew if it was even more.

Straightening his legs, Robin would be ready when he finally did hit the ground. Hopefully then he could keep his balance. Once the ground finally came to, he couldn't expect it, no matter how prepared he was. The moment his feet came in contact with the ground, they gave away. He felt his ankle sprain, causing him to crash to his knees. He hadn't had time to properly break the fall with his hands, but he managed to just barely stop himself from hitting his head on the ground. He was now on all fours on the floor. He was panting with shock, even if he wouldn't admit it. Now that he re-estimated the fall, he came to the conclusion that it had been somewhere around one or two feet. How pathetic. _He_ was pathetic.

"You did admirably well, Robin. To be quite honest, I didn't think you would be able to make it."

Slade walked up to him. Robin only knew this because of hearing the footsteps. He was still wearing the blindfold and all he could see was black, so his vision wasn't any help. At first, when he felt Slade's hand on his shoulder lifting him up to stand, he flinched out of reflex, but allowed him to pull him up anyway.

"I want my vision back!" Robin growled, feeling like hitting Slade or at least kicking him, but he was still feeling a little dazed from the fall.

At least he didn't look like a complete wimp. He held Slade's wrist in a firm enough hold to refrain him from moving. Slade's answer was to laugh and twist his arm around to make him lose his grip.

"Right away, Robin." And at the very next moment, Robin could feel the hand, which he had just held down, was ruffling his hair, giving his neck goosebumps. Robin only relaxed his shoulders when he felt Slade's hand undo the knot that held the blindfold in place. It didn't take him long to get the thing off and Robin could feel his hand wander from the back of his neck and over his shoulder, before it returned to rest on the top of his head. He had no idea why he did this and would have wanted to pull his head away from his touch. But, to be honest, the firm hand felt good against his scalp. "Open your eyes, boy, and take a look."

Robin wasn't aware that he had been holding his eyes shut the whole time, but now that he was reminded of it, he opened them. At first he didn't see anything, only black and a faint purple color. Soon, however, the purple seemed to expand and even get brighter in places. Soon his vision was only tainted by a couple of purple spots here and there, which wandered like ants, bouncing left and right on his vision like a game of ping pong. With enough blinking, he got them to settle down. Now he could see clearly. The white room even hurt his eyes a little, seeing as how bright it was. He had to squint to see better without being blinded again. He soon got used to the brightness. The room seemed to be as it was before, Slade was standing next to him, and they were both staring at a wall.

"What's going on?" Robin mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Slade turned his hand on his head, making him turn with him to avoid snapping his neck. And there he saw it, the whole track course. The thing was built into what seemed like a hole and all of those "possibly fatal falls" were barely six feet deep and were filled with water. Yes, it seemed that on the ground there was some kind of pool, so he couldn't have hurt himself even if he had fallen. He could see the small platform that he had thought was a tower just moments ago in front of him. He could also see the small round room, where he thought he had heard his friends, and every part of the course. It wasn't even dangerous. It even looked safe for a kid. The fire effects from the start were far away enough to not have been able to hurt him and the pendulums looked like theater props or some kind of toy. It had a wooden handle, but the blade was simply made of acrylic glass with soft edges that couldn't harm anyone. Then what explained the sound?

Robin had to walk along the edge of the training course to have a better look, leaving Slade behind, his hand falling from his head. The sound of the metal screeching on the floor came from a speaker and a fabric of Slade's making, which made the friction from the blade heat up the floor. It also slowed down the pendulum and created a loud noise. What kind of trick was this?

"As you can see, the test, as I said, wasn't actually difficult. It was all a matter of cooperation. I wanted to see if I could trust you and if you could trust me in return," Slade explained, stepping up beside Robin. "I wanted to know if you could follow my instructions when I gave you an order. The fact that we are where we are now speaks for itself, Robin."

Robin looked outraged at Slade, feeling frustrated. He had been blinded, blinded for Christ's sake, for this? And in the end, he hadn't even been blind at all!

"You…you cheated! You tricked me! This was…a scam! A scam all along!"

Slade held his hands behind his back as he looked at the training field that was now slowly reverting to its original, bare form. "I didn't cheat. You just didn't know what to expect. In the end, I got what I wanted. I know that in the end, you will listen to me, if need be."

"But you…you blinded me! I don't even…! You just…you tricked me! You made me believe I was _actually_ blind!"

Slade seemed perfectly calm about all this. "I needed you to be blind for this one, Robin. It would be easier for you to judge the commands if you couldn't be misguided by what you saw. I wanted to know what your subconscious was telling you. Besides, I know well enough that I couldn't just ask to blind you. You wouldn't have let me."

"Damn right I wouldn't!" Robin cut in. "Couldn't you still have…! I fell for that one! I really thought that you were…! It's not fair!"

Robin had trusted Slade on the marble, thinking it was just some kind of gadget or something. How can he trust him now?

"Robin, think. Would you even imagine yourself saying yes if I asked, 'Robin, could you please let me blindfold you? Or, better yet, blind you for a while so you won't cheat?'" Slade had sounded as sarcastic as he could be and looked at Robin through his mask, making him think he was raising his eyebrow at him. Not that he could really tell… "Besides, this was the better solution because, as you have witnessed, the effect of the marble was only temporary. I was somewhat curious to see whether you would try to remove the blindfold or not. I'm glad you didn't."

With the room back to normal, Slade started to walk towards the middle of it. The room was once again perfectly still and exactly the way Robin remembered it. Then a small pillar, possibly a really small table that barely reached Slade's navel, appeared in the middle of the room. Robin was still angry and a little upset. He couldn't really say what he wanted out of this situation. He was mad at Slade for what he had done, but he was right about not letting his sight be tainted, by any means. Also, this had been a test to judge whether he could go on a mission outside this base…

Missions outside the base? That would mean he could sneak out and maybe even get to see his friends! He was sick of having to stay in these rooms, where everything looked the same, yet nothing was what it seemed to be. For example, this room! One moment it was an open field, then it was a training room for him. Breaking from his thoughts, Robin saw Slade pick something up from the pillar that came out of the floor moments before. Putting his anger on the back burner for now, he was curious to know what it was.

"What have you got there, Slade?"

Slade returned to standing in front of him. "This, Robin, is a chip. A small tracker, to put it another way. With this, I can see where you are, what your pulse rate is, and the condition you're in. Nothing major, just a chip to keep track of you," Slade explained, loading the chip into a pistol-like device, which was supposed to shoot the chip under one's skin. "Not that this will be enough for you, once I send you out. I will also equip you with an earpiece and microphone, so we can communicate. Don't worry, it can be turned off, but you will still hear me at all times. I warn you, I do not tolerate being ignored."

He was kidding, right? Robin was not okay with this. He didn't want Slade, of all people, to put a tracking device, of all things, under his skin! Robin's anger came back full force.

"No, you will not put that in me! I am not a dog in which you can just tag your ownership to. I will not allow it! I won't bear the thought that once I leave this place, I'll have something in me that would tell you, my number one enemy, my location! That is very classified information and you can't have it!" Robin started walking away, but Slade wrapped his arm around his waist and pinned him against his body, effectively holding him in place. Robin began kicking the air uselessly. "Hey, release me this instant!" Robin now tried to kick Slade anywhere he could reach, but it was ineffective.

"Just so you know, Robin, I have all my trust and faith in you. Once the deal is over, the chip will be removed."

Slade's breath wafted on his ear and his hair when he spoke. Robin could feel his strongly built chest against his back and something on his belt was pressing against his lower back uncomfortably.

"Really? And how much trust could that be exactly? As far as I know, you don't trust anyone except yourself!"

Robin tried to squirm his way out. He barely managed moving even an inch. He felt the side of Slade's cold mask against his cheek and jaw then.

"Precisely, so I hope that you see my reason for doing this."

Robin could smell Slade's breath and the musk that came from him, but he couldn't dwell on it for long as he pushed his head to the side, almost hurting his neck. He then felt something cold and pointed being pressed against the place just below his left ear. No, he wasn't going to inject him! He wasn't allowed to! He couldn't! All chances of having some room to do as he pleased would be thwarted if he couldn't fight back. But dammit, he couldn't even move for Christ sakes! And then Robin felt it. It came with a wheeze of air and a loud psssh sound as it was injected. It also hurt slightly, making him wince. The chip inside him felt cold and foreign. It almost felt like it was sticking against his neck uncomfortably. It itched and smarted like a real bitch. He also knew that the infected area was now probably as red as a tomato. He seriously hoped that the swelling would go down soon. The feeling wasn't pleasant.

Almost as soon as it was over, Robin was released. Now that he got his hands back, he swung around, one hand on his neck to hold the place where the chip was while the other was pointed at Slade, ready to claw his eye out.

"You bastard! I told you to not to do it! I hate you!"

Robin raged, but Slade remained calm and only pulled a small vial of green liquid from his belt and held it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Robin, I know that the chip will be of use later on. I wouldn't want to lose you in the middle of everything, now would I?" Slade held the vial closer to Robin. "The chip will be removed, as I said, but until then I recommend you drink this. You are to drink one vial every morning for as long as that chip is inside you, if you want to avoid the rejection. I know that your body would be as displeased to have a foul piece of metal inside of it as your mind is. It's either the medicine or you can watch as your body starts to reject it, first getting inflamed and infected, and then trying to push it out on its own accord. Trust me, it won't be pretty. The human body isn't all that adaptive like cats are."

Robin was reluctant to take it. He knew that he had to. He knew the risks, but he had been cheated on so many times today that he really didn't want to. First going blind, then getting tagged of all things, and now this? He bet that just like an animal, one could just scan the chip inside him and see "Property of Slade". It almost made him sick to his stomach. Slade took Robin's balled fist into his hands, then proceeded in forcing it open. He pushed the small vial into Robin's palm and then forced his fingers to close around it.

"Your daily doses will be located in the cabinet above the sink in your bathroom from now on. For now, take the medicine and meet me in here in half an hour. I will give you a general description of the missions and give you the rules that you must always follow. After that, I will hand you your equipment and in two hours you should be on your way." Slade walked to the exit of the room, leaving an angry, fuming Robin to stand right where he was, staring a hole into the back of Slade's head with squinted, loathing eyes. "Maybe by then you will have managed to get rid of your—" Slade paused to take a moment to consider his words. "—pent up frustration and anger." Slade stopped within the doorway and looked back at Robin. "Congratulations on gaining my trust and the authority to attend quests outside this base. You have done well."

Slade then exited the room, the doors closing behind him. At first, Robin would have wanted to throw the vile against the wall or perhaps even the floor with as much strength as he could. Instead, he tore the cork off, threw it at the door, then drank the liquid in one gulp, grimacing at the foul taste. He heard a satisfying crash as the vial shattered against the door, which opened automatically as it registered the movement and impact.

Darn Slade and his ways. He never could leave room for an argument.

* * *

It took Robin a while to fume out his ire. Yes, he was still slightly annoyed, but he believed that he wouldn't snap the moment he saw Slade's mask again. The first thing he did during his half hour of cooling down, he had gone to Slade's medical bay. The same one he had been to two days ago. It took him about fifteen minutes to disinfect his newly made wounds. He had to use bandages on his sides and pelvis. Of course it hurt something fierce and was now itching slightly, but at least they wouldn't get infected. Before he met Slade again, Robin decided to get a small bite of something. He had no idea what the mission would be, but he decided it was best to be prepared. Then, after half an hour sharp, he was back in the room, where Slade already stood waiting.

"So what's it going to be then?" Robin asked.

Yes, he still felt that small buzzing sound at the back of his brain, nagging at him to just nail Slade for what he did earlier. For once, he decided to humor the small voice. Once he found something to annoy Slade with, he would grab the first chance he got. He couldn't trick him or take his sight from him without consequences.

"The rules are simple. For every mission, you will have a deadline. In the set time, you are to complete the mission and return here, where you will get a prize. Be late for even a second and I shall punish you instead," Slade explained.

Slade pushed a few buttons on a small remote control that he had that rearranged the room. It wasn't a huge change, but now there was a fairly good-sized monitor on a table with two seats in front of it. The monitor had a map of Jump City open and, in the middle of the screen, were many spots on the map. They were in green, red, pink, black, blue, yellow, brown, purple, and many more. Robin thought that they were either to mark different places or people. The red dots seemed to be moving steadily on the screen, so he guessed that those were people. Slade sat in a chair near him and then pulled out a small file. He set it on the table and then began to read a report that he took out of it.

"I can live with that. But—" Slade didn't look at him as he continued reading. "—there shall be no assassination quests."

Robin had a tone of finalization in his voice. He would not murder anyone. At least not on command.

"We'll see," Slade said, taking another piece of paper to read.

Robin stared hard at him. "There will be _no_ assassination quests, Slade. That cannot be bargained. I'm here because of a contract and this goes both ways. On my behalf, I am not going on any assassination quests. So far you have been the only one to have all the cards while I've been forced to stay here. So my word is final."

Slade finally looked at him. Robin continue to stare at him, almost as if he was trying to will his opinion into him. They stared each other down, like they were in a match of wits. The first to break eye contact would lose the argument.

"Is that so?" Slade finally asked.

"Yes."

"So you are implying that in the last three days, today included, has taught you nothing?"

Robin was slightly taken aback, but he didn't break eye contact. Had he learned anything? To say that he hadn't would be a lie. He had learned to cope inside small places, at least to some degree; learned to take orders as well as give them, as seen today; knew how to wield different guns because of the training; and the simulator had been an interesting experience. He had _shot_ a man in that simulator.

Robin didn't know what to say, but it seemed that he didn't have to because Slade kept going.

"Do you think I haven't made any sacrifices for this? I haven't been able to step outside my own base because I have been forced to look after you. I decided not to force this on you, nor force you to stay with a death penalty in place. I have been patient Robin. Believe me, I have. I let you wander on your own and I let you use my base freely. Now you're saying I'm actually gaining something from all of this? I could have murdered you in your sleep while you were weak and unconscious to the word, withering with illness."

Robin suddenly cut in, before Slade could make him out to be the victim in all of this. They both knew he damn well wasn't. "Then why didn't you? One problem less for you, right? There has to be something underneath all of this, that proceeds the benefit of simply killing your enemy from the field for good. Why didn't you kill me?"

Robin leaned forward and tried to read him. It was difficult because his face was covered and he could only stare at the visible eye. He would have loved to look at Slade's body language, but he dared not break eye contact. He felt the urge to just look to see if the man was flexing his fingers or doing anything that would indicate what he was thinking. But he didn't let anything slip or be seen in his eye. The gaze was almost unsettlingly intense. They both tried to stare the other down and it seemed Slade took his sweet ass time thinking. Maybe he didn't know what to say? Soon Slade withdrew and blinked. Robin felt a small linger of victory, seeing as he dropped the case.

"There will be no assassination quests," he finally agreed, before going back to reading his papers.

To Robin, even if it was just a small victory, he cherished it. Slade had accepted his rules and that was all that mattered. And, now that he once again got to aim his sights wherever he wished, he found himself looking at Slade's body. It was almost as if he was looking for any telltale signs of the man's previous thought. If he was uncomfortable with the question, he'd still have some tension on him, wouldn't he? Hopefully?

To be honest, Robin didn't see anything. Slade seemed to be comfortable, almost relaxed. His shoulders weren't tense in any way; more like resting. He even sat down so that he was leaning against the back of the chair with his legs straight out in front, the heels on the floor, the tips of his toes pointing towards the ceiling, and legs crossed at the ankles. He held the paper with his fingers from the lower edges and read the text carefully without hurry. He seemed to breathe evenly, his chest rising with every inhale. Slade didn't let any part of him give a hint of emotion to anyone. It was admirable, to be honest. Robin still had some small lingering hints that could only be found if people knew him well enough and looked close enough. In anger, his finger or a muscle in his arm would twitch just so slightly; in confusion, his eyebrow would faintly scrunch; in annoyance or disgust his nostril would flare only so slightly. Bruce had pointed out all of these flaws to him one day after he was being interrogated. Robin had tried his best to grow out of his bad habits, he really had. Now he believed that he had gotten rid of them completely. Or at least he hoped he had.

Slade sure had a lot of muscle to cover, but he seemed to be in perfect control. A strong body with a sharp mind, that's what he was. Robin found himself lost in thought and taking in the man's broad built, like a drug he had been craving for. It took him a while to notice that he really had been staring at him like a child would a cookie jar on the top shelf. He quickly tore his eyes away from his broad chest and shoulders and, at that moment, managed to take in a small hint of confusion or annoyance from Slade. His eye twitched. He must have been in deep thought because he even stopped reading the report for a short while until he resumed what he was doing and then finally putting the paper down.

"On with the mission." Slade folded his arms over his chest and then turned to Robin. "All of the equipment you will need will be provided for you. You will wear an earpiece with a mic at all times, that's mandatory, and also a gun, just to be sure. Even if you won't be sent on assassination quests specifically, I hope that you'd be ready to take down someone for good if the situation calls for it. Unless stated otherwise, you can equip yourself as you wish for the mission." Robin nodded in understanding. He wasn't completely happy with the thought of carrying a gun, but at least he didn't have to fire it unless absolutely necessary. "All types of communicating with your friends is forbidden. You are not to reveal this place to anyone and you will keep everything you know thus far a secret."

Robin frowned. He didn't want to be completely isolated from his friends, even if he could understand the reason why. If there was a crime being committed, the Teen Titans would be there to stop it. It would only be great luck, or in his case a curse, if he didn't meet them at all.

"What if I encounter them somewhere along the way?"

"You are not to talk to them," Slade replied matter-of-factly. "Act as if they were any other possible passerby or some hindrance on your mission. Lose them and make sure they don't follow you, then proceed with the mission. If you do try talking to them, I will first take you down and then bring you back here, where you will stay. Don't even think for a second that your friends will be so lucky." Something in his cold, deep tone told Robin that he shouldn't even try figuring out what his friends would face if he dared break that rule. "If not talking to them is completely unavoidable, we will see by the end of the mission what the consequences will be. So I warn you now: any unrequited contact with the team and it will be everyone's hide on the line."

"Sure, sure, whatever. Is it okay to talk to anyone else then?" Robin asked, testing his luck or just to annoy him, he wasn't completely sure. Might have been a bit of both.

"If you must. I know that there will always be at least someone interrupting you at any given time. Don't make it a habit and don't tell them anything important. Remember, the door you come in and out of is a one person passageway. No one is to know about this place."

Slade placed the papers back into the folder. To be honest, Robin felt excitement creeping up his legs and into his chest. He faintly tapped his legs under the table. Slade wasn't only letting him out, but he just said that he could talk to people, as long as they weren't the Titans and that he didn't say anything about Slade or what was going on.

"Okay, so what do I do with my spare time. If the mission lasts for, let's say, two hours, and I can finish it in half the time, what then?"

"It depends. You may ask over the earpiece if you have an idea. Remember, I have that chip in you and I'm always aware of your location." Slade paused, seemingly wondering about something. "Let's raise the bar: you have free time left and you don't tell me about it. You are not to leave the center of Jump, talk to your teammates, or enter any shops without permission. Once you get back, you are required to give me, in full detail, what you have done and where you have gone. If you lie, I will know, so don't even try it. If you get back fast, I will add to your prize for completing a mission. I trust you to get back here within the set time, but don't let down mine."

Slade stared at Robin with his eye holding such an intense look that made his skin get goosebumps and made a cold chill travel up his frame. It dared him to break the rule, promising pain and suffering if he did.

"Anything else?" Robin asked, hiding the effect of the stare behind firm words.

"You are not to leave Jump City or get caught. There is no room for failure here." Robin nodded again, knowing full well that failure was _never_ an option with Slade. "Shall we see see the equipment, then?"

Slade stood and then rounded the table, waiting for Robin to do the same. He did so without question. He was starting to feel better about this. He had pretty much just received the freedom to roam around the city, with only a few downsides. It was really generous and trustful of Slade. Robin knew that he shouldn't take it for granted. Still, he couldn't wait for some adventure in the city he knew and loved so much. Slade escorted Robin in front of the wall that was right next to the entryway into the very same room they had been staying in a lot.

"This wall is touch sensitive and will react to your touch, along with mine and mine alone. All your equipment will be stored here. So from here, you will gather them and bring them back. Notice that the storage space that has been built into the wall keeps track of every weapon. By evening, everything that was inside is to be returned. In other words, you take a weapon and don't return it, it will make a report for me." Slade stood facing Robin from the side. "Try yourself," Slade encouraged, spreading his hand to address the wall.

At first, Robin was wary to touch it. He had just been shown that stuffing your nose where Slade wanted wasn't a good idea. The thought of losing his sight was still fresh on his mind. Not wanting to look like a weakling or delay the possibility of actually leaving the base, even for the smallest amount of time, gave Robin enough courage to finally touch it. He wasn't really one hundred percent sure how he should though. Would his finger be enough or should he press his whole palm to it? He decided with the latter. The wall began to transform itself immediately, so he retracted his arm to make sure it didn't do anything weird. It was interesting to watch it open, that was for sure. It seemed to be made out of small cubes that disassembled themselves before fixing themselves back together in a different shape and location. It actually created small stairs to the storage cabinet on the wall, along with small frames on the side.

"That's actually kind of cool, the way this closet works. How exactly _does_ it work?" Robin questioned, unable to hold back his interest.

"Magnets and electrical charges," Slade put it simply, probably not trusting Robin with the information. To be honest, Robin wouldn't either; let Slade know something such as this. "Here is your earpiece." Slade handed it over. Robin took it and noticed how handy the small thing was. It was the kind you placed directly into the ear and could be used as a microphone. In Robin's opinion it was handy; small, but could stay on, even if he was in the middle of a fight. It wasn't even heavy. Since it was only in his left ear, his right ear was free to listen to his surroundings. "You don't need to return the earpiece to the storage, but you will need to take care of it from now on. Do not break it."

Slade pressed his own hand to the wall and, from within, seemed to be clicking buttons that weren't visible to Robin, no thanks to his poor angle. Though it seemed like it wasn't mandatory for him to see the buttons, even if he was curious still, because the wall started to reform itself again, opening up a medium-sized screen on the wall.

"I will give you a briefing of today's mission and then I shall escort you to the door," Slade informed.

Robin took a closer look at the screen. It seemed to be touch sensitive, seeing as Slade was sliding his fingers along the screen to open folders and browse around. It was really fascinating how smooth his fingers danced along the screen, along with tapping, curling, and, at times, pinching and releasing the screen in order to zoom. It was mesmerizing. Robin actually had to shake his head and tear his sight from the screen and the fingers for one second because the thoughts that came weren't something he wished for when thinking. How could he even refer to Slade's movements on the screen as almost caress-like. The man didn't do caress.

"Because it's your first mission, I'll let you have something simple, yet challenging, so you won't get bored." Slade opened another file. In it, there was a small chip, probably a memory card or something. There was also a logo on it. Robin decided that it was probably a military's security ward slogan. _This _was easy? Yeah, _right_. "The chip on the screen is your objective. It's the master security. So far, all of their security measures and codes are saved in that one memory card. You'll need to get it for me. To be quite honest, I have deemed it practical and useful enough to want it for myself. That will keep any unwelcome visitors away."

Slade mumbled the last part, but Robin heard it and, without noticing it himself at first, commented on it.

"I couldn't agree more. Red X comes and goes as he pleases."

Robin turned slightly red for some reason. Why wasn't he more conscious around the man? He shouldn't have let Slade know that, ever. Now he knew that Red X had been in the tower and was now probably assuming that Cyborg's security sucked. Thankfully, Slade acted like nothing had happened.

"The security on the place is going to be a tricky one, but I think you can do it. If I were you, I'd use the ventilators." Robin turned pale this time. If Slade had had anymore malice in his voice, he would say that he was trying to either be sarcastic, annoying, or downright evil for bringing his hate of ventilator shafts up. Robin only hummed as an answer. "I will print out a copy of the blueprint, including where the guards are. I will also give you a small piece of paper, explaining what kind of security is in every room and on every level." Slade pointed out small hints and locations from the screen and even showed a possible route for Robin to take. It seemed like he had been planning this one carefully beforehand, probably had planned on going himself, but now that Robin was here, he decided to give the kid a chance. "I also recommend the belt with some extra pockets in them so you can take these papers with you. You may equip yourself."

The papers were printed and Slade received them from a slot on the wall. It seemed that this room was made out to be some kind of logic center with an adaptable environment for every purpose. It confused Robin, yet it made him curious and almost excited. He was so interested in the room, wondering how it worked and how Slade had obtained it. He would love to have a room like this in Titans Tower.

Silently, Robin took the papers from Slade and went to the storage. He took the belt Slade recommended, knowing that he was usually right. Besides, carrying paper around was an inconvenience if it wasn't stored properly. He also placed the earpiece in and grabbed a gun that he had already become familiar with thanks to the gun handling studies earlier. The storage seemed to be filled with all kinds of different guns, tools, and equipment, everything that would come to mind, and more. Even if Robin wanted to wield them all, or at least the ones he could carry, he decided to go with the essentials. It was, after all, a sneak in-sneak out mission. With good luck, he wouldn't actually need to harm anyone. If he was going in by way of the ventilators, he didn't even dare think about bringing something massive or bulky with him, in fear of getting stuck because of it. He also grabbed some light, pebble-sized bombs, only so he could be fully prepared if something did manage to go wrong. Who knew when one would need a good old smoke bomb anyway.

Slade noticed that Robin seemed to be ready, except for the earpiece volume and belt adjustments. "I guess that's a plausible choice of equipment. Shall we go then?"

"Yeah," Robin confirmed, not daring to show how eager he truly was.

He took steps wider than he normally did and almost seemed to hang onto Slade's side, not daring to walk in front of him and blow his cover. Slade had told him not to talk to the Titans, but maybe he could take a look, at least, to see how they were doing. Even if Robin was almost completely in his own mind, seeing his friends at their usual pizza place, arguing over the topping, he still kept his mind on the route they took in the hallways. He wanted to know where the exit was for future reference. The slightest, smallest thought that still lingered around him told him that he should escape and that this was the perfect opportunity. Soon they reached the doors. Slade opened them by pressing his hand on a hand reader that recognized a user's prints. They opened with a hiss. Once the bright light cleared, Robin saw the sea. And Titans Tower. Where they stood faced the backyard. It was far away, but was still close enough to see it. It was frustrating to know that he had been this close all along. He could have been able to swim there. Go figure. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Sounded like Slade all right. Robin dared not say anything though.

"You are now free to go. But hear me out first." Slade pulled out a small, flat iPhone-like object from his pocket, showing the screen to him. Robin saw the exact same map from the previous room, including all of its many colored dots on it. "You are the yellow one. I'll be watching. Your friends are these dots here." Slade pointed at the dots that he was referring to. "If I see you go anywhere near them, prepare to face the consequences."

There were still plenty more dots to cover, but Robin didn't ask for them since he was too busy fuming. Why did Slade have his friends on that damned tracking device as well?

"Now look here, Slade, this is going too far-"

Robin didn't get to finish his sentence as Slade took a firm hold of his neck. He unsuccessfully tried to cover up the retort as he felt the touch on his neck, but Slade pressed his thumb to the chip that had been shot into him only a while ago. Since the skin around it was very sensitive at the moment, he had to bite his tongue real hard to avoid letting out a grunt from the inflicted pain.

"And don't forget this chip here. This little sweetheart will make sure that you don't do anything too foolish."

Closing his eyes, Robin shot his hand out at Slade's wrist, trying to tear his hand off his neck. "What do you mean?"

Robin grunted and even let out a small hiss of pain as he spoke. The grip on his neck was making his legs tremble, but he fought against it with all his might.

"If you disobey me in any way, the chip will make a high pitched sound that no human ear can handle, making them bleed. Soon, the headache will be so bad, you will start to see things, your balance will be off, and, then, you should be unconscious. Also, this happens automatically if you cross the borders of Jump City."

Slade finally let go of the chip and shoved Robin away. He stumbled a couple of steps due to the sudden lack of the firm hand keeping him upright. He managed to regain his balance before turning to Slade.

"You bastard! I thought I gained your trust!"

Robin was even madder, now that he knew, once again, he had something in him that totally didn't belong and that it was from Slade. He wanted nothing of his inside of him. No tech, no nothing. By now, he would be at Slade's throat, trying to choke him, if he hadn't stepped inside the base, the doors closing between them. Robin couldn't even yell at him before the doors were closed. Slade did manage to get in the last word though.

"Have fun on your mission. I'll see you in three hours sharp. Don't be late."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** Sorry for these two OCs. (among others?) I have no excuse for the names, I have no idea where they spawned from. Anyways, Disclaimer states that I own NOTHING. I bet that those OCs are also up for adoption... Now on with the story!

* * *

Robin was standing at the entrance to the military facility. This medium-sized, not too much attention drawing building was located on the outskirts of the city, thankfully inside the borders of Slade's chip radius. This side of the city was not nearly as wealthy as any other part and usually drew in the lower class folk, but thanks to it's heavy guarding and cruel rumors, not even the homeless nor drunkards wandered there. Of course some nosy and daring teenagers always tried to get in, for curiosity's sake, if not less, but they usually were stopped before the entrance. The penalty for getting caught usually included a trespassing charge. The facility didn't look too different from the outside. It was like any other workshop with a junkyard. Or that's what it looked like. It wasn't too ample, but looked more like the meager outskirts of the facility, with huge, wooden rolls, meant for storing wires, lying around abandoned. There was also a small parking lot for the employees. To be honest, it was the parking lot that gave it all away. If you had an army van or a Porsche parked anywhere near a shady, dark and discreet facility, there was bound to be something going on. Not that anything in this facility was shady, so to speak; they just wanted to keep a low profile, but didn't seem to be doing such a great job of it. Otherwise, the yard was protected by an iron fence, which would at least slow the intruders down, if not stop them.

Robin had arrived at his post outside the fence not too long ago. He had entered right away, not wanting to test Slade's patience. Of course, he would have wanted to look for his friends, but he knew that the situation at hand would allow no such thing. Not to mention that he had acquired a small voice at the back of his skull that encouraged him to just play by the rules for the last four days or so, so he could return to his friends in the end. And on the other hand, by running these small errands, he would know Slade, inside and out, for sure. Not to mention he was curious about the security too, but that was a side matter.

Slade had told him via the earpiece about the facility. The military base was, in fact, rather average. The more Robin heard about it, the easier he saw the mission being. Well, Slade had assured him that the first mission was supposed to be. Robin wanted to take this as such by not stressing about it. He wasn't going to take the air ventilators. Definitely not. Slade had also mentioned that the facility had rather mediocre or, at least flawed, security. The cameras were average. They even had a few standard passage indicators and a shooting range that was supposed to keep the uninvited people at bay. Slade had mentioned that even if this place was supposed to be researching on a master security, its own security was no better than any other place. They were paid to build the thing itself, not to use it. It was a common miserly by the military, but they couldn't fund everything.

Robin snuck over the fence and took a quick look around the facility until he found a small storage-like room outside. If he was lucky, the main board was in there. Who knew what else was inside though and Robin highly doubted that it was only a storage for junk, so he tried to pick the lock. It was a regular lock, the same kind everyone had on their front door. Even if it wasn't one of the most simple ones to pick, it was still no match for his talented fingers. Silently, he opened the door and snuck in, sealing it behind him.

At first the room was pitch black, seeing as the storage had no windows and the lights were off, but once he aimlessly searched the walls for a switch, he flicked it on when he found it. It seemed that the main board was not inside, but the logic was stored in nonetheless. Not that he knew what to do with it, but once he investigated the small electronic devices, he classified one of them as the passage indicator source. Robin smiled slightly as he searched the room for tools and, luckily, found a tool kit with the name "Mark Johnson, Janitor" written on it. Okay, _now_ this seemed too easy. Maybe the man had been fixing the wiring only a while ago and left his kit behind? Robin decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and searched the kit for a screwdriver so he could open the plastic lid of the passage indicator box. It wasn't one of the most beautiful things he had seen. The wires were all in one big, messy stack, all stuffed inside. This fact didn't faze Robin because he knew what he was doing. A normal passage indicator could easily be overruled. It worked by sending a small voltage through the entire circuit at all times and, once something stepped in its line of vision, it sent a higher voltage spike to send off the alarm. You could overrule the command easily by sending a voltage through the machine, setting off the alarm silently—without the machine being able to give away the warning signal—and then cutting off the source from the main circuit. This stopped the alarm from being set off.

Robin couldn't hold back a grin as he danced a small victory dance inside his head. It was an easy device to overrule—almost too easy; almost too boring. Now he only needed to find something to get the electricity for this. He searched the kit for a voltage meter with the ability to send voltage through it, but of course there was none. It was an expensive device and janitors usually didn't have one. It was an engineer's tool, not a toy. Robin frowned as he pushed the kit further away for a while, trying to look for anything that he could use as a supply or even as a conductor. The storage he was in now had a concrete floor and wooden walls with no insulation. The storage was cold and bare with not much in it. There were boxes full of junk in the corners, including other, non-useful documents and other small items. There was also some leftover junk in the left corner. The junk back there had probably been there for ages and, by the look of it, was probably used when the iron fence was set up. The fence was one of those where the holes in the grating were small enough to prevent one's hand through. A regular fence to put it simply.

With his lack of other options, Robin started to cut some tin wires from the fence, planning on using the metal as a conductor. He now had two, one foot long strips of metal in both of his hands and was standing near the passage indicator. The fence was not something he would use in any situation, seeing as it had no cover over the metallic part and he was at a high risk of getting electrocuted. Not a pleasant feeling at all. He knew that whatever safety standard he would be consulting with at the moment would not recommend using a bare electrified wire on a circuit. The only thing worse that that would be to touch it with both hands at the same time.

Robin looked at the passage indicator and wondered if he should just skip that whole step. But maybe he shouldn't. It would be handy if he get the indicator out of the game. He'd have free reign and he wouldn't have to worry. And who knows, maybe the gloves on his uniform had great insulation to them, to make sure he was safe. However, he didn't know. Only Slade did. So Robin decided that it may be best to just flat out ask him if that was the case. He started to feel around the earpiece, to find the small switch that turned the mic on.

"Slade? Do you read me?"

Maybe Slade wasn't present at the moment. He didn't want to make a fool of himself by talking to nothing.

_"I do,"_ Slade's deep voice said over the earpiece.

Robin had to hold back a sigh of relief as he noticed that he was not alone in this. "So, Slade, is this suit grounded or otherwise safe for small voltage shocks?" Robin asked, already starting to position the other wire to where it was supposed to go.

He knew that the other wire would be easy, but the moment he were to put the other one in and the voltage was able to travel along the circuit, he'd be in trouble.

_"Why are you asking? Where are you? I told you to take the air ventilators," _Slade scolded.

Robin snorted to tell him off. "I'm not taking the ventilators. This mission is easy, so I decided to just have some fun. Some 'joking around' if you will."

Robin knew darn well what mediocre security was made of and he was now about to show Slade that it wasn't a good idea to depend on such low grade toys.

_"I wouldn't recommend any tricks. But the suit is grounded and resistant on up to 400 volts,"_ Slade explained.

Robin grinned. To be quite honest, he wouldn't have had any idea on how to proceed if the suit wasn't grounded. "Not that 230 volts would kill anyone, but here goes."

He plugged the make-do wire in and…nothing happened. Robin took this as a good thing. If the circuit had fried, it would have sent off the signal and, seeing as he was still in good shape, nothing was wrong. Robin turned off the earpiece, not wanting to hear Slade's voice anymore, and then left the storage for a while. He had to set off the alarm for now before he could trigger off the machine, but that was the easy part. It was easily tricked from the main passage inductor board and, with a quick, professional cut with the wire cutters, he got the whole machine overrun. He then removed the make-do wires from their previous position. Now all he had left was the testing. Robin gritted his teeth while he triggered the alarm and, with butterflies dancing in his stomach, waited for the alarm to set off. It didn't, thank god. Robin sighed in relief and left the storage without a trace. If the alarm had been set off then, it meant that the passage indicators were still working and he would have just given away his location and, thus, failed the mission. Thank god he was still in.

Robin walked along the side of the building, keeping a look out for any hidden cameras. Of course, there were cameras surveying the courtyard, but they were placed poorly. They were set on the walls and, if Robin squeezed himself against them, he could sneak under them and not get caught. He had been lucky today. Robin then snuck to the doors that led inside. On them, there was a thumbprint sensor and a key card reader. He frowned, seeing as he had none of those things to grant him passage. Robin decided that it may be easiest for him to slip in through the ventilators, after all, but once inside, he would walk his way around the building. He wasn't going to use the ventilator shafts more often than necessary.

Robin searched for the nearest ventilator, finding one rather easily. It was located near the roof on the wall. Robin searched in his belt for a grappling hook and shot it upward. The hook took a hold of the metal cover and, with a strong pull, Robin tore it down. It was simple, yet slightly noisy and obvious, but it did the job. He then shot the hook again and pulled himself up so he could crawl inside the ventilator. This one wasn't nearly in as good of shape as the one in Slade's hideout. It seemed that a small bird couple had once made a nest there and, judging by the amount of small feathers and bones, they had also died there. The air inside was heavy and foul smelling, along with spider webs and other dirt and remains of animal nests. The darkness within was something that dared you to go onwards, but gave you the feeling that you just might not be able to leave again if you do. Robin was almost going to back out and go a different way, but he swallowed a breath and wormed his way inside.

Robin did have a flashlight with him, which made it easier for him to make out the tunnels in the dark. The light was a really powerful halogen light that easily lit the whole ventilator shaft. Even if Robin didn't panic nearly as much as he had done the last time he entered ventilation shafts, he still loathed being inside it and decided to crawl his way through as quickly as possible, which he soon did. The exit was right below him and, without paying much attention, kicked the lid off and watched it drop to the ground. It made an awful load of racket while it fell and crashed. Robin's throat had shot to his throat as he listened for any footsteps from anyone who might have heard the commotion. Luckily no one came by. Robin allowed himself to relax once again before jumping down into the room below.

The room was huge and the lights were turned off. At the left side of him, there were shooting targets; on the right was a wall of guns. It all seemed quiet. Robin saw a door that led outside the room opposite him. It was further away, about 150 feet. Robin took in the details of the place and decided that this room was used to test the guns they created. It seemed as if they tested all kinds of guns in this very room, seeing as the targets had multiple, different kinds of damage caused to them. One was burned and another was melted. There were also bullet wounds on the chest and head area, all so precise that they had to be shot with a sniper. There were also signs of explosions and some that seemed to be from a machine gun or something similar. It was interesting if nothing else.

Robin took in his surroundings one last time and then noted that nothing was going to happen inside the room. Absolutely nothing moved and nothing made any sort of noise. So he took one step towards the door. The step was confident and long and, seeing as nothing had yet to happen, even after the first step, he deemed the room safe. He took yet another couple of steps until he had a good feeling that something wasn't quite right. He took a look around his body and saw multiple red colored dots covering him. Targeting dots. Robin gulped. He then heard a loud click that sounded off twice and, then, a huge roar as a missile was launched at him. Soon after, the guns on the other side started to fire his way and he was trapped. He was literally a moving target. Robin jumped backwards to dodge the slowly flying missile and then danced his way to the wall, trying to avoid bullets. He gasped in horror as he saw the kinds of weapons that were set up against him. They weren't aiming at him currently because he had managed to squash himself against the wall. So the guns didn't register him, but instead kept shooting at the unmoving, less real targets. He saw missiles and rocket launchers, flamethrowers, machine guns, shot guns, snipers, everything from every category. The bullets pierced the air like crazy and Robin was running low on options about which direction to go. He couldn't return to the ventilator shaft either, seeing as it was in the middle of the room.

Robin tried to calm down his beating heart in order to work his brain. He had to find shelter from the fire. His safest bet would be near the guns, so he could at least try and crawl under their sights. He slowly started working his way along the wall, back pressed, stomach pulled in, and laying as flat against the wall as he could. The weapons seemed to auto target, but their range was limited, so they couldn't shoot at the walls. That lucky design flaw was probably the only reason why Robin was still alive. Not that he wasn't happy for the flaw. It was dangerous to try and work oneself along the wall. He could hear the auto target make a beeping sound every time he moved and the guns were targeted at him. They shot, but always missed because their range wasn't very wide. The closest ones flew so close to him that he could feel the small currents of air that they set off in their wake.

Robin had to take several pauses from his efforts on working himself from one side of the room to the other, since he was in constant fear that the missiles aimed at him would actually hit him. It didn't take him too long to finally make his way to the wall that separated him from the weapons. He had been staring at his feet for the last thirty feet so he wouldn't be distracted by the flying bullets. It had been helping him somewhat, but now he was finally at the location he wanted to be in. Maybe he could crawl underneath. He was already crouching, but the moment he heard the low huff of pressured air or something similar, soon followed by a blast of fire, he jumped back up to stand. The flamethrowers, always the flamethrowers. Robin gulped as he looked at the now extinguishing flames. In his slightly anguished and distressed haze, he tried to rake the room with his vision, trying to find a way out, and there it was. It was so obvious it made him want to laugh. Was this a joke or some really stupid flaw in construction? Someone could easily just walk to the other side of the wall where the weapons were because there was a hole there. A hole big enough for Robin to squeeze himself through. Well this was just plain hilarious. This place seemed to be made out of stupid, easy solutions.

Robin squeezed himself to the other side, half expecting the guns to turn around and start firing at him. Once nothing happened, he started to walk down the hallway to the other side of the room, making his way to the door so he could exit. It didn't take him long until he was at the door and was taking a peek outside. There was an empty hallway with a few cameras now and then. As he supervised them, he noted that they were those crappy cameras people bought so they could supervise the rooms. Not the wisest thing to buy. Robin dug into his pockets and fished out the very same flashlight he had been using earlier and gave it a couple fast on/off clicks to test it out. The crappy cameras were easy to fool. A regular flashlight blinded them easily. Confusing the cameras with changing the light was the easiest solution. Again, this place was made of simplistic solutions.

Robin leaned against the door frame and took a long breath. Soon he swung his flashlight upward and started to blink the light fast while he ran by the camera.

_'One down, one to go,'_ Robin thought as he chortled.

_"Robin, what are you doing?"_

It took Robin a moment to understand that Slade was still capable of sending messages to him, even if he couldn't hear him back because the mic was off. While he continued flashing the flashlight with his other hand, he soon started to search the earpiece for the on/off switch.

"I'm just messing around. This is so easy, a child could do it," Robin explained with a slight laugh. "I won't even have to do this seriously. It's actually kind of fun."

This was supposed to be a facility under the military's payroll and it was supposed to protect a master security, which was somewhere in this building. So far he had gotten in just by fooling with their machinery; by tricks even a preschooler could pull off. There might not have been any sort of challenge to it, but it was still fun. It sure was a good change from the norm, even if it was a one-time thing. He'd only need to take a couple of loose end turns to make whoever was surveying the cameras to lose track of his movements by looking at the order and location of the cameras which would act up. If all the cameras turned off in one hallway, it would most likely mean that someone was in said hallway. But if all the cameras were shut off, it would buy him some more time.

_"You should _not_ be fooling around, Robin," _Slade said. _"This is an important mission."_

Robin retorted, "Sure it is. Just let me have fun for once, okay? I'll be more serious next time."

Robin kept on clicking the flashlight, even as his fingers started to protest from the sudden performance of mass clicking.

_"If there _will_ be a next time, Robin,"_ Slade scolded, but Robin silenced him by hissing in the mic. He had heard footsteps and two people talking.

"Gotta go. I'll see you around."

Robin turned the mic off. He heard Slade grunt in disapproval on the other end since he decided to ignore him. Robin himself had no time to pay mind to Slade and was already looking for a potential hiding place. In his panic, he opened a random closet and dashed inside, hiding himself within and closing the door. The sound he heard sounded like two soldiers performing their rounds of the hallways. Like normal checks up and such. He tried to even his breathing. He flexed his fingers now that he didn't have to work the flashlight. The soldiers were walking side-by-side and talking, about the cameras going nuts, Robin understood. He tried to take a peek outside and even managed to get a glimpse. He saw that the two soldiers were standing fifteen feet from the closet, their backs turned to him as they spoke. They didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry, so Robin couldn't proceed as they blocked his way. He sighed. He was stuck; stuck inside a closet full of stupid army clothes. Army clothes…? Robin smiled. Now that he was already acting like a total asshole, he may as well be one some more.

In the small closet space, Robin started to pull on the army's green suit, hoping that it was clean. It seemed to be laundry, but he didn't know if it was clean or not. There was a name tag printed to the chest of the uniform. It belonged to that of a sergeant and, to Robin's own judgment, the other two couldn't be more than mere soldiers. So he tried to shake the nervousness away from him as he readied himself for what was to come. Once he was ready, he sighed his worries away from his shoulders, pointed the flashlight out from a crack in the closet, and blinked it a few times so he could distract the camera from seeing where he came out. He managed to slip out of the closet and close the doors, alerting the soldiers. They turned around right as he quickly slipped the flashlight in his pocket.

"Soldiers!" Robin yelled as a form of greeting. He thanked god for his poker face as he saw the two suddenly straighten their backs and lift their hands to their foreheads in salute. Robin tried to deepen his voice the best he could for it not to crack. At moments like this he truly wished he was more masculine. "I see you are protecting the base, good job!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they both shouted in unison.

Robin was pleased that they were not disturbed by his clearly non-masculine build, voice, and height. "I hope that you have been keeping your quarters in as well of shape as you have been doing with this facility! I shall perform a check on your rooms in a quarter hour!"

The distressed looks he was given was almost enough to make him blow his cover. It seemed like these two had not been told such things before and that they had something to hide. He could see it in their eyes. A Playboy perhaps? Try to explain that to a sergeant or any upper class soldier. Before Robin dismissed them he decided to try his luck and check their names stitched to their breasts. They were Brian Miles and Brooke Moore.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the two soldiers announced again, keeping their position, waiting to be told off, but Robin had something else in mind.

"Soldier Miles and Moore! Your ID cards, please."

Robin held his hand out, thankful for the gloves he was wearing. His small hand would have given himself away if not for the gloves Slade's uniform had. His original green gloves would have been a dead giveaway.

"Affirmative, sir!"

After saluting once more, they both dug into their pockets and pulled out their ID cards. They held them in front of their faces, probably thinking that Robin was just going to check them before letting them take them back. Instead, Robin snatched them for himself.

"I shall fill in the paperwork of you two before I fulfill my duties. You will get your cards back then."

"Negative, sir. ID Card is not allowed to be passed onwards, sir!" one of them said—the taller one to be exact; Brian, was it?

"You accusing me, private? Your cards need to be updated and registered. Do you read me?" Robin pressed.

How had he managed to pull that one off? Thank god he had. His voice was beginning to crack and hurt from trying to sound deep. Even his throat was starting to get sore.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the soldier chanted, saluting again as Robin dismissed them.

They went on their way, Robin watching them go to make sure they weren't looking back. He couldn't afford to blow his cover now. Once out of sight, he started to walk to the lab where the thumb drive was located. He was still wearing the uniform, so he needed to continue acting like a true sergeant. If the cameras caught him jumping and almost running down the hallway, the game would be over. Robin tried to avoid as many soldiers that passed as he could, not wanting to say a word in that deep voice again. He had to keep coughing every now and then to clear and settle down the itch in his throat. It took him a while to navigate to the doors. They required a red access ID code and Robin honestly hoped that at least one of the two had access. He thought that it would probably be Miles' card, so he pulled it out and passed it over the reader. Access Denied was his answer, making him panic slightly. The passage past the doors was probably limited to researchers only, but he hoped not. He really, really hoped that the other card would grant him access. He needed to get in and he needed to get in now. All he had left was an hour to finish the mission, then he'd have to return to Slade.

Robin felt his fingers shake only slightly as he slowly placed Moore's card to the reader, pulling it through fast. "Access granted" read on the screen and Robin couldn't resist his sigh of relief. Which begged the question: who was this guy? Who was this private that had access to this room? Robin investigated the card, quickly noticing that Moore was a senior private. He was in charge of training the new privates and taking care of the other employees. He was like the kind soul to help anyone with their task and, just like a cleaner, he had access to almost everywhere. Thank goodness for people like Moore.

Robin watched as the doors opened and the room was revealed. He stepped in with a certain stride that kept up his sergeant persona. This turned out to be a good move. The room was full of employees, all working on something. Robin gulped faintly by the door before collecting himself back together, walking to the backdoor, and opening it with fake certainty. He had to act as if he belonged, as if he was there for a reason. Once he opened the door to the room, which hosted all of the already finished projects, Robin took a while to search for the one specific thumb drive.

"I found the thumb drive," Robin said to Slade after switching the mic back on. He dared not speak too loud, so no one, in any way, could be able to hear him.

_"Good job, Robin. Now, load the information from the thumb drive onto the small USB reader device, which is located on the back left pocket of your belt. It should take a while to save,"_ Slade instructed. Robin did the work as he was told. Just like Slade said, it took at least ten minutes for the contents to load and Robin was getting worried that the people in the room were starting to get suspicious of him. _"You have done well, Robin. Now you will need to make your way back and claim your prize."_

The tone Robin heard from Slade (fondly?) made him feel good. Even if he had been kidding around most of the time, Slade still took the time to tell him that he had done well. And, for the first time in his life, Robin kind of wanted to return to Slade's base and see what he had in store for him. Slade had mentioned something about a prize and, for once, it seemed that he wasn't holding anything against him. It seemed that Slade was being genuine about this. It almost sounded like the man was proud of him, which in turn made Robin feel high. It may have just been verbiage, but, for once, Robin just wanted to agree with Slade and take in his words, foolishly believe that it was true.

_"Return to base, Robin."_

The communication was cut off. Robin took the thumb drive off the reader and placed it back where he had taken it.

"I will," he said quietly.

Robin wasn't sure if he had heard the words himself. Maybe he hadn't said them at all? Had he said them or not didn't matter. The fact was that he did return. He came straight back to Slade's base, but only after returning Miles and Moore's ID cards and having one longing look at Titans Tower.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: **I seriously do not have anything to say about this chapter... and Just for your entertainment I will make sure that I will say this only once, and you will never hear this again: Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Robin belongs to... Slade, I can live with that.

* * *

It didn't take Robin long to reach the base. He even had some time to spare, which he decided to use for his own use by looking at the windows of Titans Tower. The building was enlightening and he could see the lights from the windows as dusk was falling. He could even see the silhouettes of his friends as they passed the large, main room window. He didn't want to say that he was a Peeping Tom, but he had to use binoculars to see all the way to the island the tower was built on. He could see Starfire hovering around the living room and kitchen area, going back and forth to talk to Raven. Robin bet she was missing him terribly. He could even see Beast Boy rising up from the couch to participate in the conversation they were having. Cyborg seemed to be the one that stepped in between if things got too heated. His team was probably really worried about him and the feeling of betrayal and apology crept into every vein in Robin. It felt like small bugs were worming around his body and eating him away. He wished that he could at least send them a message, to tell them that he was okay. He knew that they were all really worried. The last time they had seen him, he had been terribly ill and could barely hold onto himself. And, now, he was at Slade's, completely okay, more or less, but they didn't know that. He wished that he could tell them that he was okay.

Robin sighed as he stood. He hit his pants with his hands in order to get rid of the small pebbles and sand that was stuck on his clothes. He had set a small timer to tell him when it was time to enter Slade's base so that he could be there on time. And that time was minutes away. Robin laid a second longing gaze at the tower before finally retreating inside of the base. It didn't take him more than five minutes max to reach the room where the storage was located. He walked to the white automatic doors and, as he got to it, opened to reveal the room within. Next to the storage stood Slade, already waiting for him.

"Good job Robin. May I have the USB reader back?"

Slade held his palm to Robin, tilting his chin downwards so he could look at Robin from under his brow, making an impression that he was either expecting something from him, scolding him, or he knew something. Hell, maybe all three. Robin noted the look, but didn't know if he should say anything. He had done nothing against the rules, he was on time, and as far as he knew, he was safe. Robin noted something else too: a small shine in the upper corner of Slade's eye, which seemed to be in a discord with the look. He couldn't place it, but it gave him the impression that Slade was smiling, that he was glad about something, but he couldn't say what. The man was too hard for him to read. Unable to place it, he kept looking, kept searching for anything that could give him away. Only when Slade blinked did he realize that he had just been staring at him, being mesmerized by the look enough to forget the time. He hoped that he hadn't been staring at him for too long. Robin was mentally shaken by the fact that he had been so close to giving himself up once again. What was it with Slade that always got Robin to his weakest point when around him?

Robin tore his gaze away and tried to look at anything else to save his skin. He couldn't really place his vision to anything exactly. In actuality, he looked at anything and everything; Slade's chest, abdomen, his legs, back to his shoulders and neck, and finally to the open palm. Seeing Slade waiting for him brought Robin back in the moment and he quickly passed the USB reader over. What was it with him and his weird feelings? This was at least the second time he had found himself staring.

"Mind telling me about the mission?" Slade asked, with a tone that clearly stated that it was more like an order than a question.

Robin also took notice that Slade didn't seem tense in any way, nor was he sounding too precise, so maybe he was trying to start a genuine conversation. Robin wasn't quite sure if he wanted to take the bait or not though.

"The mission wasn't difficult. The security was rather low."

Robin was still somewhat mistrustful of Slade. Slade, on the other hand, was back to the center of the room, near the monitor, plugging in the USB reader so he could analyze the file in it. Slade had his back turned to Robin. Usually having one's back turned immediately made Robin consider it as rude, but, for some reason, he was grateful that Slade trusted him enough not to face him. It would be nicer to speak to his face though.

"I knew as much. I couldn't give you anything too hard for your first mission," Slade said, moving slightly to the right, so Robin could see some of the files open on screen. "Besides, I needed to make sure that you would return for a second mission." Robin discreetly tried to hover slightly to the left to see more. "Would you like to look at these files as I go through them?"

Robin was caught off guard. Slade was offering to share his information? Well that was new. But he sure as hell wouldn't refuse.

"Sure."

Robin walked over, straining his voice and the urge to just leap over to the monitor. He didn't want to reveal how eager he actually was at seeing the profit of his small crusade for himself. He was very interested about the security.

"So, Robin, how are your friends doing?" Slade asked, not turning his head from the screen as he talked.

Robin, however, spared a nervous glance at him, not wanting any trouble. "They're fine. They seem to miss me though."

To be honest, Robin didn't want to reveal anything about his friends to Slade. Why had he even asked?

"I bet they do." Slade shuffled the files and opened the main one, opening up multiple files at the same time. Within seconds, the screen filled up with blueprints and other text files. "To be quite honest, I doubted that you would actually come back. At least not within the time limit." Slade turned to face him. "Well done. You made a good choice when you decided to play by the rules."

Slade patted Robin on the shoulder. The act itself was something that caught him completely off guard. He would have wanted to smack his hand off normally, but, for some weird reason, he didn't. Slade didn't let the hand linger on too long, merely just patted it, and Robin could feel the warm fingers caressing his neck and shoulders even in that short amount of time. Slade let his shoulder go and cleared his throat.

"Well, congratulations then. As I said when you left, if you could complete the small mission, you'd get a prize."

Robin had been staring at Slade's arm that had been on his shoulder just moments ago, but his comment made him redirect his gaze at his face, to detect if he was either joking or having ill thoughts. As far as Robin could tell, Slade was completely legitimate. That or he just had the best poker face.

"What did you have in mind?" Robin asked, not really daring to put his hopes up. Slade probably had some weird definition of a prize anyway.

"The question is, what do _you_ want? I might just make this interesting for us. As long as you don't have any stupid wishes like 'go into retirement forever' or something, I will grant one small wish for you every time you complete a mission. Nothing too big though. Remember, even my generosity has its limits."

Was Robin hearing right? He could wish for almost anything and if Slade agreed, he would, in theory, get whatever he wanted? What was the catch? Robin had to turn around to hide his face from Slade as he thought this over. Should he really try and ask something? Was this a test too? Maybe he really should go small at first and see how Slade reacted to it and then try for something bigger? But still, the thought of one wish per mission sounded way too good to be true. What were the limits for this anyways? How much could he ask for? Robin lifted his right hand to scratch his chin while he thought the deal over. It seemed like a good one on his part all in all, except for one question, the _hardest_ question: what should he ask _for_?

There really wasn't much that he needed, other than his freedom of course. So Robin decided to ask something; something small enough to see what he could get. Maybe he should ask something personal, something that was slightly bordering on the deal, to see if Slade would bend the rules for things that weren't really too serious or that would interfere with the deal they had made. But what did he want? All he wanted was to be with his friends, but obviously he couldn't have that. Robin sighed as he let his hand fall back to his side. His shoulders slumped slightly as he turned around to face Slade, but he straightened his posture to look more secure. He should just give it a shot, right? What was the worst that could happen?

"I would like to tell my friends that I'm okay, at least. They are really worried. The last time they saw me, I was feverish and ill, and, on the mission we received, they really wished for me to stay back. But then I disappeared on them. I don't want them to blame each other for what's going on. So could I just…send a letter or something? I won't tell them anything with what's going on, I'll just tell them that I'm okay. I'll even come up with some kind of cover up story. You can read it through yourself if you want. You can even deliver it yourself. I trust you to take it there safely. If you don't, I will know once I get back when this deal is over. If that's the case, I promise you this: you will pay."

Robin didn't even care if he was babbling. He was bargaining for his friends here. Slade didn't react at all, at first. He just stood there, pondering, noticing that Robin was trying to tell him by his looks that he really wanted this. He had the look in his eyes that said he had already made up his mind and it was final. Robin wasn't sure if Slade saw it thanks to his mask, so he tried to add body language too. He had his chest puffed and his shoulders drawn back. His back was arched near the small of his back and his hands were balled into fists.

Slade stood tall and lifted his right hand to hold his chin. At first, Robin was glad that he was even considering this, but soon returned to his posture, not letting any linger of hope creep into his eyes.

Slade seemed to be thinking it over really well. Right now, even Robin could tell that he was weighing his options in his head. He could see it in his eye. Slade's eye switched only so slightly every time he changed his train of thought and Robin bet his face wore a matching look. But, of course, he couldn't see if that were really true. Robin didn't even know that Slade had such a habit. It seemed that all of his observations had grown some fruit. Then Slade started pacing. It couldn't really be called pacing since he walked back and forth twice, almost looking like he couldn't decide which way to go. Eventually, he walked back to the storage. Slade activated the wall and looked inside it for half a minute.

"Return your equipment to the storage. In the future, once you return from your mission, you'll need to get by this room to deactivate the timer. I'll think this over as you do."

Slade turned his back on Robin. He himself finally dared to drop his pose and slowly went towards the room in the wall. It was confusing to see how Slade really placed his thoughts together in this and, if he was lucky, he just might get his wish. He might actually have to thank the man if he allowed him to be in contact with his friends. Slowly, Robin started to strip off his equipment and the faint metal-hitting-on-metal sound was heard as he put the tools away. Now and then, Robin chanced a glance at Slade, but he never moved. Once he finally put everything back where they came, even the small knife that he would have loved to have as his plan B, he closed the storage door. The sound that was created seemed to bring Slade back to the present. That, or he had just sealed his deal and made up his mind. It did seem that way anyway.

"I thought this over and made my decision. I will grant this for you and, as you said, I will read it and take it there myself. I will take it there this evening even." Robin had to resist pumping his fist in the air. There was so much he wanted to tell his friends, but he knew that he couldn't fit in too much. "You can write it in our quarters so that I may supervise you as you write. Just to make sure you don't try anything funny."

Robin could swear he heard a small sigh or a voice of surrender escaping from behind Slade's black and orange mask, but he knew that not many would believe him if he ever confessed. Not that Robin minded. Right now, it felt as if he had a bunch of butterflies in his stomach. He seriously felt like flying straight to the room to write his small letter. In fact, to be honest, he felt better than he ever had when opening Christmas presents. Not that he dared to show it too much; he didn't want to look like a child in Slade's eyes.

Once Slade had secured the room behind them, they both made their way to the bedroom. Slade let Robin use his desk and even let him decide between using a computer or just writing it by hand. The option of using a computer was tempting, but Robin turned it down. This might as well be his only letter to his friends, so he wanted them to feel secure about the letter. His handwriting would be proof of his personality. His carefree way of writing would also assure them that he wasn't in any stress or danger whatsoever. Robin decided to write the letter on normal paper with a black ink pen to indicate that he was firm and positive in his situation. Maybe the lack of spelling errors or shaky handwriting would assure them that he was really being honest with his letter. Only when he had an empty sheet of paper and a pen with a full container of ink at his disposal did he realize he hadn't a clue on where to start. He had so much to tell, yet he couldn't mention even half of it. Besides, how could he ever explain to his fellow Titans a reason for his disappearance? He couldn't just tell them that he was off visiting a cousin, or Batman, or anyone, really. If that were the case, they would assume that Robin would have at least informed them about the situation before it took place. Somehow, he hoped that he could just tell them the truth. But he knew that, if nothing else, it would only make things worse; much worse.

As Robin sat in the chair—shoulders slumped and fingers playing nervously with his pen—he noticed that his mind wandered. Maybe he should at least be somewhat honest. He had been running after Slade once he had seen the man, but had only gotten so far before he fainted and got picked up by an old friend who was visiting and just happened to pass by. It probably wasn't the best of excuses, but it sure was better than just randomly deciding to go on a holiday without notice. He could always explain that his friend had been nursing him into better shape and, thus, couldn't make contact sooner. Once ready, he could say he stayed around to catch up with them and repay them for the favor. The story wasn't too far off from the truth, which made Robin feel slightly better, seeing as he hated lying to his friends. It was amusing how his subconscious had turned Slade into an old time friend, who tended to an ill friend, like a good host should. That was more or less a half truth. Slade hadn't been one of the kindest or fairest host; not by a long shot. However, Robin had to give him some credit. He had been a far better host than he had ever imagined he could be. Only then did Robin notice that he was treated even more and more like a guest, rather than someone who was forced to stay. Even now he had free time and freedom to wander around. He even had access to the outside world now and again. It may not have been much, but it was more than he had ever dared to ask.

It seemed that Slade had given him even more freedom as time went by. Also, at some point, this had started to feel more like a sleepover than anything else. Yes, he was still pretty much kept like a sardine in a can and he still had high expectations, but even he had noticed the freedom he was given. He could train whenever he felt like it, could ask for things—in some cases be permitted to have them—could eat what he wished, and, now that he thought about it, could choose if he wanted to be around the host himself or not. Slade had left him by himself between simulators and practices and missions even. Robin felt rather certain that the man wouldn't mind his company too much if he was willing to ask for it. They may have their disagreements, but at most times they got along just fine. Like right now, for instance. Robin was doing his thing and Slade was doing his thing: laying on the bed with his back resting against the wall while marking on a handful of papers. For some reason, Robin didn't feel out-of-place when Slade was silently resting behind him, making a glance in his general direction, to make sure he was still on the right path. Usually this kind of behavior would make Robin nervous, edgy, and jumpy, but now it was as if Slade belonged there. For some reason, Robin didn't feel like he was turning his back on his enemy, even if that was exactly what he was doing. The room was silent, but not unnervingly so. It seemed that they both were comfortable in the quiet and neither felt like talking.

Robin took another look at the white paper, which was slowly eating away at him, mocking him, and daring him to write something on it, but, for the love of god, he didn't know what, nor did he know how. He was slowly forming a fear towards the blank piece of paper. It felt as if he was supposed to write something important, but the moment he tried to press the ballpoint pen to the paper, he changed his mind and was unsure of how to continue. He should probably start with the fake situation, explaining what was going on, but he was nervous. He wasn't sure if the excuse was believable enough.

Every once in a while, Robin heard a rustle of papers and a small squeak as Slade's marker scratched the surface of the paper. Slade was doing his own project and, seeing him so off guard, showed a whole different side to him. Not much time later, Robin once again found himself far from his thoughts and, instead, was noting how Slade held him only by loose chains, so to speak, and how he received even more privileges as time went by. Who knew how close he could get to the man if he let himself get on with it. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad plan if he tried to get along with him and earn his place and _then_ see how he could profit. It was always better being on Slade's good side. He held the strings, even if Robin hated to admit it. So maybe he should at least try to worm his way inside the man's defenses. If he couldn't tear him down from the inside, then he would try from the outside. At the same time he would extinguish his thirst for answers. He wanted to know how deep Slade was willing to let Robin go. He already had all the small freedoms, so who knew what else he could gain. As the saying went, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Now if only he could just try getting along with Slade…

At first, the feeling of having to break the silence to start conversation was greatly offsetting. It felt like he knew well what he had to say, but the words got caught in his mouth. It felt like he was, once again, that small child who was forced to apologize after a mischief he clearly knew was wrong and hurtful, but still the words didn't leave his mouth. Robin didn't know why he felt like making such a huge deal out of this. It was only a simple conversation. Robin coughed to fill in the silence, from which after he proceeded to say the first thing that came to mind.

"You won't mind if I stay somewhat truthful to the story about the fact I fainted on the outskirts of the city? That an old friend of mine picked me up? I know that my friends won't believe me if I said that I decided to just suddenly wander off."

Slade finished the last line that he was writing and then laid the paper stack on the night table. He took a good look at Robin, who had twisted his body to face him.

"Who is this friend of yours?"

Slade corrected his position so he could sit straighter.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, turning the chair slightly so he could look at Slade with better ease.

"You will need a decoy. Someone who your friends won't know personally, to avoid letting them check up on them for facts, but someone they know _does _exist, so it won't seem too suspicious," Slade explained.

Robin agreed. It did make sense. He couldn't just say that it was someone from Titans East or they'd simply call and ask.

"I haven't thought of anyone yet. Maybe Batgirl? Might as well say we have some catching up to do. It probably wouldn't even be too suspicious for her to be in Jump."

Slade lifted his right knee, resting his arm on it. "But can she be tracked down? I wouldn't recommend her. But so far, she might just be your best shot. You better hope that they can't track her back."

"I'll make it seem believable," Robin said, already starting to form the letter in his head. The plan didn't change much from the original. "I'm planning on telling them that she nursed me back to health and that I was going to repay her by staying with her for a while. I think I will also mention that I should be back next week." Robin turned to his piece of paper.

"Just try to keep it short."

Robin nodded for confirmation, even if Slade could only see his neck.

_Dear Titans,  
I'm sorry that I disappeared on you, but I have a reason for this. I went after Slade as he escaped the warehouse, but in my condition, I couldn't get far before I lost consciousness on the outskirts of town. To my luck, it was Batgirl who found me. She said that she was only on a drive-through-trip through the city on her way back to Gotham from a mission. She found me near a gas station in the suburbs, where she was supposed to get a refill, and, seeing my condition, she decided to nurse me back to health. I have been on bed rest for the last few days and we have been catching up a lot since then. The good news is that I'm now fully recovered and ready to go. On the other hand, though, she asked me a favor. Batgirl is supposed to make a contract trade further to the north, on her way to Gotham, and asked me to guide her there to help her convince the trader. This is a quick trip, though, and shouldn't take more than a few days, half a week tops. I should be back by next week and I promise you that I will tell you all about it once I get back. Please don't worry about me, I'm totally fine and healthy. I just wanted to let you know that I haven't fallen more ill, fainted, died, or anything.  
I miss you guys, but I will see you in less than a week,  
Robin_

"You think this is good?" Robin asked as he handed the letter over to Slade.

To be honest, Robin would have wanted to say way more than what he had in the letter, but there was no way to do it without looking suspicious. At least he could sleep his nights away without the weight of his friends worrying over him on his shoulders.

"It isn't the best, but it will have to do," Slade said, pocketing it in his belt.

Slade stood up, taking the stack of papers he had previously been marking and placing them on his table for safekeeping. The table wasn't too wide because it was created for just one person. The file holder was located on the corner of the desk, right next to Robin, so Slade had to reach over him to throw the file where it belonged. This caused Robin to get a good whiff of Slade as he reached over. He had a unique smell on him; a mixture of oil, sweat, perhaps some cologne, and something that was Slade himself. The cologne didn't smell half bad.

"So when are you taking the letter over?" Robin asked.

"I'll take it before dusk. Usually your friends are out, eating that _trash_ you call food," Slade commented, sneering at the very thought of eating greasy food with non-existing healthy substances on a daily basis.

Robin didn't fully approve of Slade's opinion, but kept it to himself. Instead, he stood up and stretched. "So what do I do until then?"

"I have another simulator program ready for you if you want to give it a go."

Slade walked over to the door, allowing Robin to have some stretching room. He stood by and waited for him to crack his back and come over.

"Do you have to ask? Of course I want to give it a go! I hope that it won't include killing this time, though. I wouldn't like that very much," Robin mumbled, following him.

"Well, if that makes you happy, there aren't many human targets," Slade said as he went.

Robin answered with a simple, "Good."

The two walked to the simulator, while idly conversing as they went. Robin tried to keep the conversation up, as he was determined to try to get past Slade's shields. The man was almost interesting, now that he knew there were other things to him than the sadist bastard he was used to. He also learned that Slade never lied. The man took time to answer and, if he decided that the question was too personal, he would leave it unanswered. Or, at least, Robin had never detected a lie from him. It was an interesting observation to make. It almost made him want to ask some stupid questions, like his favorite color and food and probably some of his history, but he knew that if he started to interrogate him, Slade might just shut up for the night. Usually he would be more than delighted to get him to shut up, but now he wanted to keep him talking.

It didn't take long for them to reach the simulator room. Slade went over to the controls and indicated that Robin needed to step inside the room itself. Robin watched for a while as Slade set up the program and registered the difficulty settings and details. It was interesting to see Slade's fingers fly over the buttons and program the whole room he was about to enter with code language Robin had yet to fully understand. He soon took a couple of steps closer to the room, but stopped by the door to look at Slade. He just had a better idea. A suggestion, actually. Slade had given him small freedoms, so he may as well try his luck once again. Not that it was a bad idea, actually. No, it was a brilliant one.

"Want to do it with me?"

Slade lifted his head to look directly at his younger companion, who was half in the room, half in the simulator. He seemed surprised that he would even ask such a question.

"You actually want me to come with you?"

For once Robin could honestly say that he saw the slightly confused doubt in Slade's eye. "Yeah, why not? It could be cool. Or are you scared that I will break your high score?"

Robin grinned and dared the man to come along. Hell, this might actually be fun. Slade laughed at this, he really did. He stood.

"You wish."

Slade hit the start button. The room breathed to life, but before it started to move, Slade pressed a small button at the edge of the controller table, which summoned a robot to control the room on autopilot. Taking a hold of Robin's shoulder, he pressed him against his side, stepped into the room, dragging him, and then closed the door behind them. As the room started to move, it ate away Slade's words, but Robin could still hear his voice as clear as rain.

"The game is on."


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:** Ohai! I'd like to warn you of this chapter's lenght! This thing is LONG, Sladin says it's about 20 pages! This chapter was one pig stepstone for me, since somewhere about here I picked myself from the scruff and was like "Stop crying about how the character developement sucks and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT WOMAN!"

* * *

As soon as they were both sealed inside the simulator room, Robin could already feel the floor crumble and started seeing the walls move around them. The panels were shifting and the roof was turning. He could see small, tiny holes forming on the roof. Robin stared at them in wonder. Soon the smells were arriving and a thick smell of mud, soil, and moist and wet air filled his lungs. Then he heard a huge bang and roaring thunder. The first drop fell from the holes in the roof, hitting Robin's cheekbone. It didn't take long got the rain to start falling, as if a storm was coming. The floor was getting slippery and flooded with water. Robin stayed staring at the roof for as long as he could before the roof was hidden behind a heavy sheen of cloud and fog. As Robin looked back at the floor, he no longer saw a flooded room, but of water puddles and mud. He soon started gazing around when he no longer heard any sounds of the room bending around them. The only thing he could hear was loud thunder every half a minute and the heavy rain around them. He couldn't even see much. The fog was so deep that he could barely see ten feet ahead. The rain felt heavy on his skin and it was cold. The water got in everywhere on his clothes, making it feel uncomfortable, heavy, and glued to his skin. His hair became flat and was plastered to his mask. He had to sweep them off his eyes constantly because it had become enough of an inconvenience.

"I suggest making your clothes water proof," Robin mumbled, once the water got through his uniform. It was annoying, tight, and didn't leave much room to move since it seemed to constrict everywhere.

"I did, but once the material got too stiff and rubbery, I decided that I had better things to worry about," Slade answered with an annoyed grumble, but the hasty look at Robin's form didn't look regretful at all. "I wonder if white would suit you at all…" Slade mused, but his voice was quickly drowned by the announcement that passed through the speakers.

"Welcome to the simulated test chamber. We have prepared a course with a current test level of Five," Robin heard the robotic voice say over the microphone. He took it as the voice of the robot that was left in charge of everything. He couldn't quite tell if the voice presented a specific person, but it sounded like a woman. A strict one. "You will have to defeat the monster that has been set loose on the subway. Your time is set to two hours, which is the time left before the water will rise and present a serious threat of drowning. The monster gains advantage with the water that has been raining in for weeks. If you cannot defeat it before you run out of time, or before the monster has a full advantage of the field, you will fail. Do not get separated. Both are required to survive the simulation. Begin with the test."

"Well she wasn't very enthusiastic…" Robin mumbled, walking closer to Slade.

The fog was as intense as ever and it was hard to tell where they were now. Robin only hoped that Slade had some kind of idea about the subway location.

"Well, compassion was not one of the things in which I considered mandatory," Slade said, starting to make his way forward. "But enough of her, I think I have an idea of the subway's location. I don't remember being on this map before, but I suggest researching the center of town would be a great start."

"Yeah, it's as good as any, I guess," Robin mumbled as an answer, but followed Slade nonetheless.

Robin had to take longer steps than usual to keep up with Slade's pace and to avoid losing him in the fog. The water was rising slowly, but at this point it wasn't too alarming yet. The shoes seemed to keep the water out.

"We'll just search for any kind of shop or info signs from here. It seems to be peaceful enough. I guess everyone is inside in such a rain…" Slade mused, searching the sky and the road ahead for any kind of lights of the city.

So far Slade and Robin weren't even close to one. The ground was too muddy, full of water, and rocky to be a city, he supposed. It seemed that they were on a deserted area full of rocks and cliffs. The path was hard to travel on, but they had a mission to worry about.

"What do you mean everyone? This is a simulator Slade. Do you really think there would be unimportant people just waltzing around? Are we even going the right way?"

Robin was already complaining as they stumbled onward. The ground was slippery due to the water and, thanks to all the rocks, it was hard to find a proper footing. At times, the rock he stepped on was either moving or weak enough to prevent standing on his full weight.

"Of course there are people," Slade corrected. "I made this device as realistic as possible. It's natural to walk by some random, non-important to the mission characters. At times those characters can be important with your plan. Sometimes they can be a distraction, sometimes just a burden, and, if not that, a normalcy. And as for the right way, the simulator usually turns the room around for you so that, once the room is completed, you are facing the right direction. So our best bet is to just keep going straight until we find what we are looking for."

"Well that's convenient," Robin said.

Right now, he had no trouble following after Slade. Who know what kind of traps there were up ahead. He preferred it if Slade walked into them rather than himself. They traveled onward with the rocky ground and, as they passed by some abandoned excavator, Robin decided that they must be near some building site.

"It seems that they haven't been able to flatten out the soil yet. If I lift you over this cliff, can you pull me up?" Slade asked.

Robin was mildly surprised at the offer. He knew Slade was as stubborn as he was. Or at least in some cases. If the man wanted, he could have climbed up the cliff himself. Robin was thankful that he trusted him enough to not just leave him at the bottom of the cliff once Robin got to the top. The cliff wasn't too high, somewhere around ten feet, but his estimated height might not be exact. The water that was flowing down from the cliff made it look like a small waterfall and it might have had a slight negative effect on his skill to judge the height.

"Sure, no problem." Slade interlaced his fingers and was ready to give Robin a boost. It was a nice gesture. Seeing Slade offer help willingly was one thing, but not acting all annoying about it was another. Robin somewhat expected him to just lift him up and throw him over to the other side like a rag doll, but he preferred this greatly. He placed his foot on the palms of Slade's hands. With a nod to the him, Slade boosted Robin up and, with the momentum and force of the boost, it was easy for him to jump up onto the cliff and look around. "Hey Slade, I can see a light from here! It's not too far! It might be a street post of something!"

Turning, Robin kneeled on the ground, horribly staining the knees of his uniform with mud and cold water, and reached for Slade. He wasn't far from reach, but still far enough for him to need to jump to reach Robin's extended arm. Robin himself wasn't fully prepared for Slade's twice or even thrice heavier weight, thanks to all that muscle, and he almost lost his position and hold on him. He didn't let go, though. Robin was adamant in showing Slade that he wasn't just some weakling. He had crashed his chest into the dirt, effectively covering it in mud, but he still hadn't let go. Once Slade was climbing up, Robin started to pull him over. In the end, it wasn't too hard.

"Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Slade said, not sounding mocking at all. It almost sounded like he was somewhat pleased or something. But he wasn't teasing, that was for sure.

"Yeah. Great. So let's go check out the light." Robin said, coughing on his fist. "It's right there."

He pointed out to the fog. And, true to his word, the light was where he had last seen it. It still illuminated that warm yellow glow, even if it was hard to see no thanks to the fog.

"Yes, we better check it out," Slade said, once again starting to lead the way.

Robin noticed that the water had risen a little. Not too much though. It still didn't reach his ankles. The ground under the sheen of water wasn't all that rocky anymore, but now and then there was a lump of cement hidden underneath. The ground was really muddy and his legs were sinking into the soil every time he stepped. He had to pull up with every step.

"Be careful of any kind of work site tools or other junk," Slade warned. "You don't want to get yourself hurt now, would you?" Robin could take care of himself just fine. He looked where he stepped. And, true enough, he had his eyes glued on the ground up to this point. He could see Slade's legs from here, so he couldn't get lose him. "Look out for that cement lump there, Robin."

"Where?"

Robin started to look out for any kind of object coming up ahead. He was already prepared to guard his head, but he didn't expect the cement lump to be on the floor. The moment his concentration was disturbed, he already tumbled on it and took two hasty steps forward. Thanks to the mud gluing his feet to the ground, he couldn't regain his footing fast enough. He face-first into the mud. He had been able to cover his head though. He did hit his arm on a rock sticking up from the ground. It smarted and ached, but it wasn't too bad. It did make him yelp though. And, sooner than he noticed, Slade lifted him back onto his feet by the back of his uniform and was already scrubbing the mud off. Robin had a hard time trying to cough the mud out of his mouth and to spit out the disgusting taste of soil. Slade first swiped the mud from his face in three quick swipes before proceeding down while Robin rubbed at his eyes.

"I warned you about the cement. Are you okay?"

Slade felt around Robin's uniform just a tad longer than he should have, but it went unnoticed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a stupid clumsy accident."

Robin growled and tried to rub his hands on his legs to get clear off all that mud. He did favor his other hand thanks to the small ache, but it was nothing bad, probably just a small bruise. He doubted that it bled or anything.

"Show me your hand," Slade demanded, pulling Robin's hurt hand out to take a better look at it. He tore Robin's uniform sleeve open to look directly at the wound. It was, against Robin's belief, actually bleeding. It wasn't a serious bleed or anything, just a rash and a bruise. But, not taking any chances, Slade pulled out an emergency bandage and a tube of cream. He first cleaned the wound, applied some sort of the manilla-colored cream, and then wrapped it. "It will ease the pain." Robin could feel Slade's hands linger on his before he quickly retracted. "I warned you. You should have listened better. At least I was prepared." Slade took off. Robin was somewhat speechless, but followed soon after so he wasn't left behind. "It seems there are some planks set on the floor." Robin noticed that. The water was slowly flowing between the planks and the dripping of water was heard below. "We'll have to be careful from now on. Who knows what they've left behind on the construction site before they all went to search for shelter from the rain."

Slade carefully stepped onto the planks and almost immediately heard a loud crack as the old, and, thanks to all this water, rotten wood caved under his weight. It was so sudden that Slade couldn't avoid a surprised gasp as he fell between the planks.

"Slade!"

Robin reached in for him and managed to grab him by the arm, but, once again, he was taken aback by his weigh. So instead of stopping Slade from his fall, he was pulled down with him. The fall wasn't too deep because it all seemed to happen so fast. Slade fell onto his back and a loud crack and splash was heard. Robin seriously hoped he hadn't broken anything. Robin himself landed much smoother. He managed to land right on Slade's chest, causing him to make an "oomph!" sound as the air escaped him. Robin's right hand was caught between them and the left had hit the hard floor. His legs were tangled with Slade's and his head was between his head and shoulder. Robin even banged his teeth against the hard mask. He was sure he could tell the material of Slade's mask by taste alone.

"Ow ow ow ow…" Robin slid his hand out from between them, resting on top of the man for only a short while before he lifted himself up with a jolt. It only took him a second to realize what had just happened. Regardless of the annoying ache on his teeth, he stood up as fast as a missile while muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Robin started to walk around on the floor—more like pacing—and now and then he spit just to get rid of the taste and the idea that he had just licked that damn mask. To Slade, it seemed like he was panicking while trying to push away the fact that what just happened did actually happen. Robin looked like he was trying to cleanse himself by scrubbing only. "Oh sorry, are you okay?" Robin finally realized to ask before offering a hand for Slade to grab.

"Yes, I'm just fine. Pristine. The fall did my back good though." Slade disregarded the offered hand and then cracked his back to get rid of the kinks. Slade didn't admit it, but Robin's reaction wasn't a pleasant one. He wouldn't say that it was insulting, but it wasn't welcome either. To be honest, he expected him to be used to him by now. "It seems that we have reached the old part of the subway," Slade added, trying to concentrate on the mission instead of Robin.

Only then did Robin realize to look around. "Oh. So it seems." The fall they had endured was hard because of the stone floor and since they had, quite literally, fallen through the roof. The water in the subway was already way higher than it was on the surface and it already reached between his knee and ankle. "Do you have a flashlight or something? It's getting pretty dark down here."

This seemed to be true, seeing as this part of the subway had probably gone out of business long ago. It was dark and deserted, with no shops or hobos anywhere. Even the signs were turned off and collecting a thick sheen of dust, making it hard to read what they said.

"Of course I have a flashlight. It's so convenient that I carry one around just to be safe," Slade blurted, already having said flashlight on. He started searching around the tunnels. "We must be on the cement edge way. They have painted lines on the floor as a guidance for tourists. But we'll have to hurry. Once the water rises too high, we won't be able to see them."

Robin already had a hard time seeing the lines. It was dark and the water was at least forty percent mud. In the light that Slade shown around, Robin could see a slight shimmer from under the water, which he thought was the line Slade was talking about.

"By all means, lead the way then," Robin said with sarcasm all over his voice. First and foremost because he didn't have Slade's vision; secondly because he didn't find the lines first; and thirdly because he couldn't have the lead.

And lead Slade did. They had to wade their way in the water and, with every step, it splashed around and made a lot of sploshing noises that echoed on the bare walls of the subway. The walk down was seemingly boring and, with the darkness all around, it was also really uneventful. The silence was overwhelming. Slade hadn't opened his mouth to say anything since and Robin had a feeling that he should break it somehow. Just a while ago he had many comments on how Slade was, some way or another, getting on his nerves, but now he had nothing to say. The water was rising and, at the point where it reached Robin's knees, it made him wonder. It was about the whole simulator thing. All of it seemed so real, but yet it wasn't. It was kind of confusing really. So what would happen if the water kept rising?

"So…could you really die in the simulator?" Robin asked out of nowhere.

"No," said the man of few words.

The response didn't really feel like it answered anything at all. Which only left Robin in confusion. Why? Couldn't Slade just explain it a little?

"Oh… Um…"

It sounded stupid to just mumble when he didn't really have anything to say, but luckily Slade got what he meant.

"Well, let's just say that the room was way better built than it should have. You know that the room makes you hallucinate pain and creates smells, as well as people and conversations, so of course it also monitors your condition. The machine has your vitals in check. The moment you have severe complications, example would be a mental break down or an intense feeling of pain, it will automatically shut down the whole process. It's the same with this water. You see that it's real and is still raining outside." Slade pointed at the ceiling with his flashlight to show that the water was still flowing in. It didn't rain like it used to, but it seeped through the seam where the ceiling and wall connected. The water was also dripping from the ceiling, but only slightly. You wouldn't realize that fact if you weren't paying attention and Robin had to admit that it was only then that he saw it himself. "But what happens when the water hits the roof…?"

Genuinely interested to hear what Slade had to say, Robin looked at him. The simulator was a really fascinating subject indeed. He would build one for himself for sure.

"The simulator is keeping watch of your vitals, mental state, stress level, condition, and everything else. Once you can no longer breath, the system will already have registered your rising panic levels and your slowly rising lack of oxygen intake. After all that, it immediately starts to drain the water out from the room. The room may be huge, but it will be drained out very quickly and, thanks to the almost immediate reaction to the situation, even if you have just recently breathed in water, the room can be emptied in mere seconds to start further measures. After the situation is reanalyzed, it will decide if the simulation can be continued. It is a pretty handy thing if I do say so myself. The program is smart enough to tell when you are drowning and when you are diving. When you dive, you don't panic, unless you are running out of air, which is monitored. So don't fear that just diving in will fool the machine to drain out the water."

Robin had listened eagerly despite the very long explanation. "Isn't that all a little too…oh I don't know…much? I don't mean that it's bad, because it's great, but really, is that necessary?"

Slade had to laugh at that. Not those cold laughs he did when he wasn't interested or wanted to make a point, but a real laugh, like he was actually enjoying the conversation.

"You wish. Considering the amount of money I put into this, I expect it to be perfect. Image a situation when I train here and manage to kill myself in an illusion. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to my memory if I managed to get myself killed from something so insignificant?"

At that Robin laughed too. For some reason it was easy to laugh with Slade. And that brought him to notice that Slade didn't sound as taut as he had previously sounded. Actually, he was rather bearable when he wasn't talking with that monotone voice of his that sounded like he was judging your very step or that he wasn't pleased with what he saw.

"Yeah, that would be a riot," Robin managed to utter between his laugh, which he tried to contain until he just gave up and relaxed. "So did you really design this as a training room from the beginning?"

"Mostly, yes. The thought of making this a torture chamber crossed my mind once. Imagine you could drop people in lava and make it feel true for days. But, in the end, a training room was what I wanted." Robin suddenly turned stone-faced. A torture chamber had truly been Slade's first idea? "Against your common belief, I do not torture people for fun. And I must admit that the thought only crossed my mind when I was annoyed that you had, yet again, crashed one of my projects. To be honest, I prefer this room as it is now," Slade hastily added, placing pressure on the end.

Slade didn't want Robin to get the idea that he would just decide to turn the room against him at any point when he was in it. He knew that he shouldn't destroy the mood now that he had managed to get some contact with him. They had been having a genuine conversation without cussing or fighting on each others' behalf.

"At least I'm not the only one who's driven up the walls by our tirade," Robin said, quickly regretting it. He was an idiot for just admitting that! Slade wasn't supposed to know that any of his plans to aggravate him were actually working. The sudden stop of a pleasant conversation got Robin back to the present. They were still in a water infested subway, in complete darkness and who knows where. He didn't want the conversation to end, but he didn't want to continue the previous subject either. Who knows what else he'd slip up. "So where are we heading now?"

They had just arrived at a cross point in their path.

"I don't know," Slade admitted, gazing in both right and left with his flashlight.

"Excuse me, what?" Robin asked snappily.

They had just walked onwards pass many possible right turns and now they were heading to a possible dead end.

"The trail got lost under the water some time ago," Slade admitted again as he pointed to the water—which blocked the view more than efficiently—in order for Robin to see for himself that they couldn't even see their own legs past their knees thanks to all the dirty water. "But if we follow the signs on the walls, we'll eventually reach the subway platform." Slade flashed the light on one to prove his point.

"Follow what signs?" Robin growled. "Those things are so covered in grime that it's almost impossible to see what they say." Robin pointed to said signs to emphasize his point. "Admit it, we're lost."

Robin managed to hold back a chill to his tone. The water was cold and was now reaching over his knees. Slade was almost knee deep in water too.

"I know exactly where we are. We are about thirty feet below the surface and the hole we fell through is right behind us."

Slade was having his cool, which annoyed Robin to no end. Couldn't he just once admit that he was wrong?

"So you did get us lost, didn't you?" Robin mumbled with a sigh, turning his back on Slade. He could talk to his back for all he cared. Take that as disrespect.

"Don't you dare…"

But then something else dared them to turn around. The noise was so high pitched, it sounded like a female scream. It made the floors shake only slightly. It was only after the squeal had ended that the real rumble on the ground began. The water was waving and small pieces of rock were falling from the ceiling and splashing the water. It was hard enough to stand with all the water and fallen rubble around, but whatever the earth shake was was making it more challenging.

"What's going on?"

Robin was turning around to face the direction the sound was coming from. It was hard to locate the sound itself as it traveled through the stone walls and echoed on the tunnels, but, once he saw what was the cause of it, there was no doubt of the matter that this was the monster they were looking for.

"Robin, look out!"

Slade shoved Robin out-of-the-way. He lost his footing and fell completely below the water's surface. It was everywhere: in his eyes, his mouth. He rose up to breath some fresh air and to spit out the foul tasting water off his tongue. When Robin managed to clear his view, he finally had a proper look at what exactly they were dealing with. It was a huge worm. Like some tapeworm or something. Its mouth had two rows of pointy, sharp teeth. The fluke was so huge that there was barely any room for it to turn around. It was so long that, now that Robin saw its head, he couldn't see the other end of it. The thing kept screaming and flailing around while Slade tried distracting it. Robin saw that he had really miscalculated his foe and was now in some serious disadvantage. The worm was fast. Its moves were so fast and it was practically gliding on the water that there was no way you could move out-of-the-way once it charged at you. It was an awkward situation. The water slowed others down a lot, but the worm just got faster and faster. But that wasn't enough. The worm was also strong. Every time its body hit the walls, the crash made them crack and bend. It screamed so ferociously that it nearly hurt your ears and, when it swung its head at Slade, he had no chance in moving away fast enough. Robin saw the thing slam him against the wall. Not even the wall could stand the huge impact. Slade was thrown through the wall with only the water to break his fall.

"Slade!" Robin yelled in concern, the sound attracting the worm's attention. His eyes widened. "Oh shit!"

The worm was after him faster than he could blink an eye. He jolted to his feet and started running away. He had to wade his way in the water. It splashed all around as he ran. He was searching all the crooks and corners with his eyes for any kind of hideaway. They were in a subway, what did he expect to find? Robin took a fast turn to the left as if he was driven to a corner. There was no place to hide in the subway, just endless tunnels that he didn't recognize. The turn didn't stop the worm though. It made at least as sharp a turn as he did. As it hit the wall, since it couldn't stop in time, it made the tunnels shake. It did slow the worm down only slightly though. It didn't take long for it to shake its head and start screaming again as it continued to chase. Robin had no idea how to shake the worm off. The running was getting tiring and the water was splashing up onto his face. He had to wipe off the mud now and then. As he turned his head to look behind him, he almost had a heart attack when he saw how close the worm already was. It was gaining speed, whereas Robin was wading through water that reached pass his thighs. He ran faster than his limits allowed. As he saw another sign attached to the ceiling, decided to give it his best shot by attempting to grab it and just hope that the worm couldn't stop in time to get him. The worm was so close that Robin could feel its breath on his back. The mouth was wider than Robin was tall and the teeth were almost as long as his arm was, from the tips of his fingers to his elbow. The thing's breathing made an awful rasping and crackling sound and it smelled like all things rotting and decaying.

Robin paid a last hasty gaze at the thing with no face, eyes, or any kind of facial expression, but a huge, round, open mouth that was catching up with him. As he looked into its depths, he could see its mouth for as long as its body carried. At the end of the tunnel he only saw darkness. The worm had huge bumps all around its mouth and they were salivating some sick, transparent goo that seemed to be sizzling. At this point Robin was amazed that he could hear anything else than the huge pounding of his heart between his ears. The sign was getting closer and he prepared to jump for it. Right as that moment came, he jumped. He had to jump with so much force behind the act to get his body out of the water that seemed to keep him in place. He reached out for the sign and, while he was still airborne, he made the mistake of looking behind him, only to see that the worm wasn't as stupid as he thought.

The worm had predicted Robin's move and it was jumping after him, it's huge mouth open. He had no time to react. He reached his hand to grab the sign, but, because of his muddy hands, he slipped off and fell below the water's surface. The worm hadn't expected him to fall back down, so it hit its head through the ceiling. Huge pieces of rock were falling and splashing into the water and some almost hit Robin. The water kept crashing terribly and the waves were hitting the walls hard enough to almost pull Robin with them. The Boy Wonder needed all the luck he could get to be able to duck away from all the falling stones, but he needed more than that to be able to move out-of-the-way before the worm's body completely crushed him as it continued to thrash around. The worm was hitting its body on the water. Robin was pulled out from under it as the water flooded and the waves hit the walls, taking him with them. His body crashed into one before he hit his head from the fall and then back below the surface. The pain at the back of his head hurt worse than anything he had experienced before and a huge headache was forming fast. At least Robin was no longer in the way of harm, but by the wall where there was still room for him. He rose up for a breath of air before diving back under. It was faster to swim rather than it was to run. If only he wasn't so out of breath so he could dive longer than just a few feet at a time before he had to rise up to breath some more air.

By the time Robin was making his retreat, the worm had gotten it's head free from the ceiling and was trying to get them down. It turned around in the way too small space and was coming at Robin. The thing screamed as loud as it had before. When it was at his side, Robin dived. He had no chance to move away from the attacks soon enough, so he just dived and hoped for best. Robin could hear the awful screech from under the water and could barely see as the worm was shaking it's head. It soon kept going. I seemed that the worm had let him go. When the worm was far enough away, Robin felt safe enough to resurface for more of that precious oxygen. He saw the worm going along the tunnel until it stopped by the turn they had taken a while go. It waved its head from left to right. The scream echoed on the walls, sounding way eerier than it had before. Finally the worm decided to turn left. Robin let out a silent prayer. Slade had to be somewhere to the right. When Robin could no longer see it, he started to crawl his way through the water and soon reached the part of the tunnel where the wall had been broken when the worm threw Slade through it.

"Slade!" Robin climbed through the hole in the broken wall. "Slade?" He didn't see him anywhere. All he could see was a tunnel as far as his eyes could see. "Slade, are you okay?" Robin could see a slight dent on the other wall. He deducted that Slade had hit this second wall that had also stopped him. "Where are you Slade?" Robin tried yelling again, but he still wasn't awarded with an answer.

He searched the ground around him. He saw a massive amount of broken stone everywhere, but not a sign of the other man. He noted that the water was flowing to the left, so he decided to follow it. Who knows if Slade was too tired to move and he let the water take him. Robin couldn't take more than two steps before he already fell in the water, no thanks to all those rocks lying around underneath. It was only then that he noticed how much his chest had been hurting thanks to all that running and holding his breath. Once Robin had fallen, he didn't even bother to rise anymore. He may as well swim from here on out, the water was high enough. Robin followed the flood as well as he could and even tried to take right turns. He wished that Slade was okay. At this point it didn't even occur to him that he was wishing for the well being of his sworn enemy. The water was everywhere and Robin was completely soaked. He was also getting cold at an alarming rate. He hoped that he wouldn't catch another fever thanks to this. Just then he noticed that he could actually reach the bottom of the water-infested subway with his hands. The water seemed to be reducing? Robin kept on crawling onwards until the water was low enough for him to start traveling by foot.

Once he stood he saw him. Slade was laying by some stairs. The water had been declining thanks to them. It flowed down the stairs and, when Robin was close enough, saw that the ground below the water was at least high enough to reach to his chest. Slade had been lying at the top of the stairs. Robin thanked the gods that he hadn't been taken further away by the flow.

"Slade, are you okay?" Robin asked, kneeling beside him. He tried shaking him awake when he didn't get an answer. "Come on Slade. You are made of way better stuff than this. You can take a hit, can't you?" Robin had a tint of worry in his voice. Slade was completely unresponsive. The worry was slowly creeping in and accumulating at the back of his brain, fearing that soon it would come in at full force. This place was no place for the wounded. Here there was only darkness, water, and endless halls. There was no place where you could put a wounded companion to rest. "Slade, you have to wake up." Robin pulled his glove off with his teeth. The smell of it and his own hand was almost revolting, no thanks to all the dirty water flooding in and rubbing all the smells on whatever it could catch. Robin swiped his hand on his chest before he started to feel for Slade's breathing through the mask. He couldn't feel a thing because his fingers were too numb from the cold. So, instead, he started feeling for his pulse and pressing his ear against the slits in his mask to hear if he was still breathing or not. At least Robin was feeling the pulse. It was faster than normal, which was confusing, but at least Slade was alive. His breathing, on the other hand, was really slow and deep. It was like the man was asleep or something. "Ugh, come on Slade! You can't just go to sleep on the stairs…"

Robin started to pull Slade with him so he could at least get him to the top of the stairs where there wasn't much water and where the ground was even. He was deeply worried because Slade hadn't shown any sign of resistance as he moved him. It was as if the man was unconscious or something. But unconscious peoples' pulses didn't get as high as Slade's did. His heart kept beating like crazy. Even if Robin had been running around with his heart up his throat and his pulse reaching the skies, here Slade was, lying unconscious. Robin could have guessed that a normal person's pulse at this point would be around seventy. But Slade was doing at least one-seventy-five.

"What is going on?" As great as this was, it wasn't suppressing the worry at all. At least not now when Robin didn't know what was going on. Slade's breathing was at a consistency of when one was asleep. Did that mean he wasn't getting enough air? Robin proceeded to move Slade into a recovery position, lying him on his back. He tilted his chin up to open the airways. Robin saw no need for CPR since he was breathing. His heart seemed to be working more than fine. There was no way he was having hypothermia, right? No, that wouldn't make the pulse skyrocket like that."Slade, please wake up…"

Robin tilted Slade's head back a bit more and to the side to check the vitals again. Now with better access, he could feel the exact pulse. Everything seemed to be as it should: his body temperature was normal, so it couldn't be hypothermia. Then what-? Another high pitched scream echoed off the walls. It had to be the worm, he decided. Taking a glance, he saw a shadow on the wall of a tunnel.

"We are running out of time…" Robin muttered as he kept a close watch on the end of the hall where he saw the shadows move. The tension could be cut with a knife.

Something suddenly grasped his wrist firmly. Tearing it off Slade's neck, it held it away. When he realized what was going on, Robin looked around and saw a very conscious Slade, who was staring right back at him with a very annoyed look too.

"Get your cold fingers off my neck," he growled, letting go of Robin's wrist.

Getting up, Robin retorted, "Well sorry for saving your ass." He offered a hand anyway. Slade approved it this time. "Are you okay? The monster didn't break any bones, did it?"

Robin wouldn't admit it, but he had been worried about the man's health for a moment.

"I'm just fine, Robin," Slade said, standing.

"Yeah… Well you had a really high pulse."

Robin paid a hasty look at Slade, mutely asking him if he could explain it to him. Judging by the man's look, he could.

"Some other time, perhaps." Robin was left sighing as Slade dismissed the question. At least he was okay. "So what happened to the fluke?" Slade asked, cracking his back. It made a rather loud noise that echoed along the walls.

"I managed to lose it a while ago, but I guess it found us again. Thankfully it didn't find me while underwater…" Robin pointed out the tunnel where he had seen the worm last time. "It was right there a moment ago."

Slade started to nod, but then remembered something. "Wait, you said it didn't see you underwater?" Robin nodded. "Well, I did take notice on the fact that, other than having a huge mouth and teeth, it really doesn't have much else, except for some holes on the side," Slade mused, which didn't catch Robin's attention at all. Slade started leading the way as they spoke, so they wouldn't lose so much time. "How do you think the thing sees? If it doesn't have eyes, then I suspected heat vision. But that doesn't seem right since it didn't see you under the water."

"I bet it uses sonar. That would explain all the screaming," Robin said.

When they reached the deeper part of the water again, Robin started to swim instead of walk. When Slade the water level reached to his navel, he, too, swam.

"Perhaps you are correct," Slade agreed. "We can use this to our advantage though. Since the water forces us to swim and the ceiling seems to be getting closer, I suppose one hour has already passed."

Robin had nothing to say to that. He didn't doubt that the time had already run short on them. "How are we going to defeat it? Do you have any weapons for me to use, because I don't."

Robin sputtered as the water got in his mouth as he spoke and swam at the same time. He was worried that if they didn't have the right tools for their plan, whatever that may be, this was going to end up a suicide mission.

"I do have a spare retractable bo staff for you," Slade replied, already searching for it in his belt with one hand. "Here you are." Slade offered the retracted staff for him and then resumed swimming. "I'll see if I can distract it and maybe force it to keep hitting its head on the ceiling in order to make it dizzy. You can try and find its weak spots in the meantime."

Robin snorted but didn't protest. He preferred searching weak spots than being the distraction. "There are some flaws in your plan, but let's try it." They didn't have to swim much further to get to the point where Robin thought he had seen the worm. "Where do you think it went?"

The water was almost to his shoulders now. It was rising at an alarming rate still. Maybe there was less water on the above floors. Robin really didn't want to face a huge monster in such an environment.

"It can't be too far. It has to be patrolling somewhere. We should find a place where the water isn't so high."

Slade headed to the left. Robin followed closely. This time he trusted Slade's ability to tell where they were going. He also didn't bother questioning his lead. It was hard to swim with his boots on, but he couldn't complain. When they finally reached another set of stairs, they saw that the water was slightly lower on the upper floor. It was flowing down the stairs like a river and the flow was stronger here. It wasn't a bother really. It was better than the last floor they were just in that was for sure. They were now on the first underground level. The doors that led outside had been pushed off its hinges. Mud filled the floor, some mounded together into piles all around. In the middle of the room, below a broken, half-sphere-shaped glass roof, was an even larger pile. It was so high that it almost looked like a small mountain. Mud also covered the exit, preventing them from escaping. Luckily they didn't need to leave in the first place.

"I guess this will do," Slade said. Robin could hear the sound that Slade's boots made as he walked on the floor. The mud was so thick and moist that it made sure that whatever landed on it would get as stuck as possible. The mud reached halfway to Slade's knees. The room seemed to be suffering from serious water damage. The walls looked weak, the water made the rocks look loose, and the cement used to keep them in place was crumbling. Also, the ceiling seemed to be covered with mold, the water slowly dripping from it. "Be careful with the mud piles. There might be benches and things buried underneath." Walking up to the large mud pile, Slade tested the surface. "It's fresh and moist. We better keep away from this or it might start a landslide and bury us under it."

Robin was about to agree, but then the mud pile shuddered and started to move. Slade stepped away as mud came out of the tip and started rolling down the sides. The ground below them trembled violently like a small earthquake. Slade and Robin braced themselves against the shakes. Robin jumped back and almost fell in fright when mud shot into the air along with the worm's head, its mouth agape. It screamed so loud that it hurt Robin's ears. Slade had just been analyzing the fluke's nest.

"Shit, lookout!" Robin yelled, but it was too late.

The worm already launched itself at Slade, quickly pushing him into the ground with its head. The teeth were only centimeters away from his face, but he had been fast enough to grab the top and bottom of its mouth with his hands, trying to hold it back with muscle power alone.

"Robin! The holes! The holes on the side of its head; fill them! If it is sonar, it might blind it!"

Slade suddenly yelped as the worm skyrocketed its body up, pulling him off the ground, and turning quickly to slam him against the wall twice. Then it slammed him back in the floor, trying to squish him like a person would a bug.

"Fill them with what? Mud?"

Unable to answer him, Robin ran over to get some anyway. He couldn't think of anything else. If the holes really were ears rather than nostrils, the plan would work. Once the worm couldn't hear the echo of its screams, it couldn't locate them. As Robin ran over to get some of the more stickier, thick mud to fill the holes, he wondered how they hadn't filled up with mud already. The worm _did_ live in a mud pile. He grabbed as much as he could carry and then dashed towards the worm's head. Robin was worried that Slade wouldn't be able to hold on forever.

The worm was squirming and thrashing its long and round body around. Robin chanced a look at Slade and saw that he was holding up just fine. He had gotten back to his feet and was pushing the worm down. At times it would push Slade backwards in hopes to knock him in the wall again. When his feet slid across the ground because of the lack of friction, Robin decided to hurry. It was hard to try and climb on top of the worm as it moved violently, so he decided to climb on top of the worm's nest mud. As it came by, he'd jump on top of it.

"Slade, I'm over here!" Robin yelled.

Slade glanced in his general direction before twisting the worm to the ground beside him. It fought back, pulling Slade above the ground and smacking him into the ceiling. After it threw him onto the mud pile, almost hitting Robin with the same strike, it wrapped around it, knocking mud down the side that piled on top of Slade. The worm pressed down on him, obviously trying to suffocate his annoying enemy. Robin didn't have time to wonder if Slade was okay or not, so he jumped on top of the worm's back and ran to the top of its head. It had small valves to close the holes when it was diving or sleeping in mud it seemed. The valves opened when the worm made noise or when listening for something, but they seemed to be closed otherwise. That's why Robin hadn't noticed them before. Luckily Slade had.

Sitting down on top of the worm's head, Robin tried to keep hold of the mud with his hands while gripping the worm with his knees and searching for a place to set it in order to pry open the valves with both hands. They looked thick and strong, so Robin judged that the strength of both arms would be needed. In the end, he decided to support the mud with his legs as he started to pry open the valves. Right then, the worm let out an ear-pounding screech, obviously hurt by the forceful act. It unraveled from the pile and moved away, leaving Slade be. It thrashed around and tried bashing Robin off by rubbing its head on the walls and ceiling. The ride was awful and it was really hard to stay in place. Robin couldn't hold on very well, but he had taken a good hold of the valve and shoved a handful of mud inside the flailing worm. The moment it entered its body, it screamed a yell so sharp that it made the windows crack. The mud seemed to really be hurting it. The worm started to crash around so hard that Robin was almost thrown off its head right then and there. The mud he was holding had already fallen ages ago, but he continued holding onto the worm for dear life.

"Robin, hold on! I'll try to distract it!" Slade yelled as he crawled came out from inside the mud pile. He seemed to be gasping for air, obviously out of breath.

Robin seriously wished that Slade had a plan because he couldn't hold on much longer. The worm wasn't showing any signs of tiredness. The skin was very moist and wet and slippery, even for a worm. There was absolutely nothing he could take a hold of.

"Hurry!"

Robin was instantly constricted against the wall. The pain against his chest was horrible because his ribs couldn't take such pressure. Robin decided to gather the mud that had gotten stuck on the worm so he could be ready for the next strike. Once a ball was ready, he started to pry open the valve, making the worm rub its head against the wall. Robin's back tore against it, hearing the cloth ripping in the process. He was sure he would have a killer rash after this. But the pressure brought one good thing to his aid. Once he had gotten the mud in his hand, he placed his fist against the valve and his elbow against the wall. Once the worm moved further along, Robin's hand got so badly squeezed between the two solid objects, the weaker material broke. The valve bent inward and Robin's hand was elbow-deep in the slit. The scream and contraction the worm was having was really strong. It curled up on the ground for a while before rolling and crashing Robin into the mud pile. It tried to suffocate him, too, which was working. Robin already had near to no air in his lungs from having his chest pinned against a wall. The mud was all over him now. He accidentally swallowed a mouthful of mud, making him cough out the air he didn't even have.

The worm came off the pile, screaming out so loudly that Robin knew for sure that it was in terrible pain. His throat was sore and irritated from the mud scratching against it. He was starting to suffocate, he could feel it. He was already gaining a huge migraine. His vision was blurring and his strength was leaving him. Soon Robin was barely holding on and he could see the simulator world darkening around him. As his head rolled to the side, he blearily saw Slade near him, stabbing the worm's neck multiple times with a bladed weapon. The only reason Robin hadn't fallen off the worm was because his hand was still stuck. Gooey, green blood ran down the worm's body from its wounds. His perception of time was off because one second Slade was stabbing the worm and the next was behind Robin. He felt his arms wrapped around his stomach, recognizing it as the Heimlich Maneuver in his haze. Slade had time to do the abdominal thrust three times with no success.

The worm suddenly rolled, forcing them to the floor. Robin was so badly sandwiched between Slade and the worm that he practically vomited out anything that was in him. Not even the foul taste and some left over vomit could stop him from sucking in tons of air every few seconds. Slade quickly grasped him by his mouth.

"Don't hyperventilate."

Slade then let go. Robin tried to even out his breathing, but the worm moved again, ready to slam them into the wall again. He didn't think he could take another hit. His arm was still trapped in the hole and Slade was practically hanging from his waist. Before the hit came, Slade placed his legs on either side of his chest, grabbed his forearm just below his elbow, and yanked the arm out. They both fell from a high perch, but it wasn't as bad as being thrown against walls. Once they both hit the ground, Robin was too tired to move. He laid down for a while, finally breathing evenly. He was really out of breath and tired, but he was refusing to lose.

"Thanks for the…h-help," Robin said with a voice so rusty and dry that it was a miracle Slade could even hear him.

"How many of the holes did you get covered?" Slade asked as he looked at the worm. It seemed not to notice that the two parasites were no longer on it because it kept thrashing and screaming.

"I… Two I-I guess," Robin rasped and tried to swallow as much as he could to regain his voice back, but it really hurt to. His throat literally felt like sandpaper.

"Not good enough…" Slade mumbled, but not sounding scolding. He actually sounded worried. "The worm has eight holes… But how can we get them all covered?" Slade took only a few seconds to come up with a quick plan. "You get the last two on the one side while I get the other. Go!" When Robin didn't move right away, Slade practically threw him onto his feet and shoved him away. He picked up tons of mud in his large hand and ran towards the worm, which was on the opposite end of the room now. Despite feeling weak, Robin grabbed more mud as well and ran to catch up with him. When he was running along side him, he felt more secure when they were near each other. "I'll throw you up onto its back where it hasn't moved it as much and then you'll pull me up."

Without further instructions, Slade grabbed Robin around the waist and did exactly what he said he would do. Robin would have protested if he had had enough time to, but now it was too late. He was already sitting on top of the worm and then quickly landed on his stomach to reach down and help Slade up. Slade didn't have any trouble getting there. Once he was on his knees, he got up, pulled Robin to his feet, and started to run back into position. They each ran to their respected side, the worm feeling their feet pounding against its thick flesh. It reacted fast and tried knocking them both off. It had little to no success since it only kept moving to the left, the side where the two holes were already filled.

Once they were back in position on the worm's head, it knew it was in trouble. It started flinging around again, hitting the walls and ceiling. Robin and Slade were pressed to its sides though, so they only had to deal with the impact. It was hard to keep a grip on the smooth surface with already tired arms, but Robin managed. He gathered mud off his body in haste, went to the third hole, and thrust his arm inside. The worm screamed again, opening the fourth one. Quickly grabbing more mud, Robin threw it inside before the valve could close again. The worm wasn't at all pleased and kept throwing its head around and screaming. Robin kept a good grip, despite hitting the wall from the worm's thrashing.

"Slade, I'm ready! Are you?" Robin asked over the worm's screams.

Robin barely made out Slade saying, "Just this last one!" and then attempted to fill it. But his feet slipped and he fell, crashing into the ground. With fast reflexes, Robin jumped to the last hole and yanked the valve open. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Slade lying on his stomach while pushing himself up to see what was happening. "Do it, Robin!"

The moment Robin got the mud in, he rolled to the floor and then sat up. The worm hit its head on the walls several more times before cooling down and dragging its head against the floor, obviously confused, blind, and absolutely out of ideas.

"We got it!" Robin yelled in excitement, standing and running for the head to see if they could restrain it. The worm had done enough damage, so he assumed it was okay.

Everyone knows that assumptions are bad and makes bad things happen. Slade knew this very well because he yelled, "Robin, wait!" It was almost drowned out by a scream that was ten times worse than the previous ones. Jolting around, Slade barely saw the worm hit him, throwing him against a wall. Falling to sit in the mud, he barely lifted his gaze before he saw that the worm's rear was the same as the front. Robin stood frozen to the spot as a second mouth opened as it lunged at him and then swallowed him whole. Slade's eye widened in shock. "ROBIN!" Slade's yell echoed around the subway, causing the worm to turn its rear towards him. Its gaping mouth was open and he saw Robin disappear. For just a small moment he saw a bump in its second throat, and then it was gone. Robin could be anywhere inside that thing. "Robin!" Slade yelled again, running towards the worm, ready to tear it to pieces if he had to.

The worm's middle jerked at him and hit his entire body, throwing him against the wall. Robin, meanwhile, was contracted inside the worm. The walls were squeezing him tight, the air smelling foul and sour, like there was some kind of acid in the air. This was, quite literally, true and Robin could see his skin start to turn a fiery red shade. His clothes burned and were weakening, losing the lustrous black they once held. It was as if the acid was the sun. Robin's hair was getting seriously damaged and was probably burning right off. And, with no oxygen in the air, he couldn't even breathe! He was so trapped that he couldn't even turn around. He could feel the worm's bumpy intestines pushing against him and almost cutting into him. It all hurt so much. So much, in fact, that he almost couldn't think. What could he do? He was going to die here, right inside some stupid worm. Oh god it was so tight! He was trapped.

Soon, the acid reached his skin and he could feel it burning too. He was going to die here: slowly and painfully, first suffocating to death, and then getting digested. He had to get out; he had to get free. Robin was fighting for all he was worth. He tried to hit, kick and claw at the walls, but it was no use. He was out of breath and dying. WHAT COULD HE DO?

Outside, Slade held an extra blade tightly while running back at the worm. The blade wasn't actually meant as a weapon. It was for emergency use only, usually to cut cloth for bandages if he ran out of them. Cutting into the worm with it would be like stabbing a bear with a butter knife. Luckily Slade was strong enough to cause some damage at least. He kept on running, trying to locate Robin, who could be anywhere. As far as he knew, he could already be dead.

It didn't take Slade long to notice that there was more water in the room from the floor below and that the worm was partly underwater. Soon he had to swim to catch up to it. With it now halfway under water, Slade went under, water filling his mask from the slits. It soaked his suit and seeped to his skin. Water filled his shoes, getting his feet wet. He felt that the situation couldn't get any worse, but he had been wrong on a few occasions before. This occurred when he failed to dodge the worm's next attack as it somehow swam under water. It actually couldn't because it was so heavy that it sank to the mud and was crawling along it. If only worms couldn't survive underwater…

Slade swam backwards, keeping his eye on the worm as it began to circle him. The water level was still rising rapidly. Needing a breath, he floated his feet to the mud and pushed off. Water fell out of the slits. He inhaled and then went back under right as the worm was under him. Swimming to it, Slade grabbed it with his arms, floated into a sitting position, and gripped it with his knees. The worm kept moving as he lifted the blade above his head and slammed it down with enough force to sink the entire blade into the worm's flesh. He heard bubbles erupt behind him as the worm screamed with its extra set of holes. Slade actually thought that this was a miracle since he knew the blade couldn't cause so much damage. Yet the worm was hurting from a single stab. Maybe he had stabbed it way better than he initially thought?

Or maybe not. The worm suddenly stopped moving and then jolted backwards, bucking Slade off its back and right out of the water. It crashed into the slowly disappearing mud pile. Slade fell and crashed right above the worm's side on the mound. The worm lay there, but was still howling in pain and agony. Looking down at it, Slade saw what had really caused the worm's reaction. His extra bo staff was sticking directly out of it. This could only mean that Robin had pierced it with enough force to fatally wound it.

"Robin!" Slade slid down the mud pile and reached the wound. Stabbing the blade between the staff and hole, he started cutting the thick skin in hopes of getting Robin out of there. "Hold on, I'll get you out!" To be honest, he was so very worried that he was already too late. "It's okay, I'll get you out."

Slade's voice held a hint of worry for Robin's health and sanity. His fear of tight spaces would probably give him a panic attack by now. If he fainted, only god knew what would happen. Once Slade got a proper hole in the thick skin, he yanked the staff out, threw it into the rising water, and then grabbed the hole's edges with both hands. With all his might, he tore it open, blood spurting and gushing out heavily. He ignored it getting all over him and reached further inside. Feeling metal against his fingers, he gripped whatever it was tight with both hands and yanked upward as hard as he could. There was a squelch, a blood curdling scream, and Robin's head coming right out of the worm. Slade continued pulling him, grabbing the next part of his body that he could see. The uniform had disintegrated, showing off his blotchy, red skin that was probably festering. Robin was now halfway out of it, his stomach covered by the intestine. Upon closer inspection, Slade saw that it had pikes that punctured him. The intestine looked like a leech that was sucking Robin dry. He was only in the worm for a short while, but it had caused so much damage that Slade was slightly sickened by it. In order to fully pull Robin out of the now dead worm, he would have to remove the organ. Joy.

Taking the blade, he cut the intestine in half and then carefully pulled it away from Robin's skin. It almost stuck to him indefinitely. Blood seeped from the small puncture wounds. When the organ was fully unattached, Slade stood up and dragged him further up on the mud pile. The water was close to covering up the worm's wound, which meant they didn't have much time left. Sitting down and pulling Robin into his lap, Slade examined him more closely. He had several burned off patches of skin that were bleeding slightly. Robin's eyes were wide open and looked horror struck, but Slade was sure he wasn't conscious. And at least he was relatively okay. He felt a pulse and, leaning his face to his mouth, felt him breathing, the air entering the slits of his mask. Slade ran his hand through Robin's hair, which came off in chunks on his hand. His clothes were so rickety that he feared the cloth would peel right off if moved too much. Slade lifted the remaining cloth to see under it and was glad to see little to no damage in those places. The acid hadn't reached them completely, much to Slade's relief. Gathering Robin in his arms, he stood up and then heard something. It was like metal hitting metal. Soon the room got really bright briefly and he saw the simulator room slowly returning to its original state. The water was vanishing, along with the worm and the pile of mud.

"You have passed the test," a voice informed him.

Taking a deep breath, Slade made long strides for the door into the monitor room. Once he stepped over the threshold, he made sure Robin was still safely secure in his arms. Stopping in the middle of the room, he watched as the boy was slowly returning to normal. His hair was growing back to its healthy black color, his skin was turning back to light peach, and even his clothes were coming back together. Robin was now fine. There wasn't much of a scratch on him either. Slade noticed that he was getting better, but it didn't matter. The only thing Robin suffered from was being shaken up. For a moment Slade had forgotten that it was a simulator. How careless of him. Soon Robin started to stir. Crouching, Slade laid him at his feet. He knew that if Robin noticed he was being held like a child, he would start to complain about it. And a child he was not.

The first thing Robin saw when he opened his eyes was Slade. His black and orange mask was looking at him with a slightly worried look in his eye. The first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Did we pass?"

Slade laughed. "Yes we did."

Smiling, Robin answered, "Cool." He started to stand.

"What do you remember?"

Robin was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"What do you remember before you fainted?" Slade clarified.

Robin took a while to reply. "I'm not sure. It was dark, scary, and I couldn't move. I couldn't think of a way to get out and I was panicking, I guess."

Robin shrugged. He could almost see the gears turn in Slade's head. He was relaying the happenings and came to the conclusion that Robin was in such a foul condition when he saved him was because of Crane's fear toxin. He'd have to be more careful with it in the future.

"I see." Slade stood and headed for the door that led into the hall. "Let's go to bed."

"Wait." Slade stopped and turned back. Robin approached him. "You saved me, right?" he asked, reaching him. Slade only nodded. "Why? I bet you could have taken that worm on all by yourself. You knew it was a simulator, so I couldn't actually die."

They walked out and headed for the kitchen for something to eat.

"Why wouldn't I? I won't just leave you to die, if that's what you're after."

They entered the kitchen and Slade ordered a robot to prepare a good meal for them. They hadn't eaten much that day.

"It's just…" Robin scowled lightly. "Whatever." He dropped the conversation. It wasn't exactly what he meant, but he doubted he would ever get the answer he was looking for.

"Robin, of course I saved you."

By the look he was given, Robin could swear that Slade was promising just that. He decided to just leave it unanswered. Once they had eaten and returned to their room, Robin was the first to make it to the shower; he practically ran there. He was wet from head-to-toe and probably smelled worse than a wet dog. Once done half an hour later, he walked back in with a towel around his waist. Looking over, he saw Slade sitting at his desk, writing something down with a black pen in a leather bound book.

"What are you doing?"

Robin tried to take a peek over Slade's shoulder. Ending his note, he slammed it shut and placed it in a safe. "Just notes; nothing important." Standing, Slade pushed Robin further away with a gloveless hand. He had taken them off because of being wet. One couldn't very well write with wet hands, now, could they? Slade was actually glad for it as he felt Robin's smooth, yet still slightly wet skin under his palm as he held his shoulder. Just to test the waters, he let it slide down Robin's chest, feeling the pectorals and nipple before dropping it. "My turn to take a shower."

Moving away, Slade pulled off his shirt, revealing his muscular, but scarred torso for the ten seconds it took to enter the bathroom and close the door. Robin was left standing with goosebumps running up and down his back before stopping by his neck. He couldn't get rid of the image of Slade just a moment ago. He had so many scars. Some crossed over others while many almost zigzagged, marring his body. Scars told about life and Slade had many. The scars actually suited him. Robin didn't abandon the thought even as he got dressed in his night pants. He hadn't even noticed it, but he was really tired; too tired to notice that Slade's torso was still the last thing on his mind. Once he returned from the shower, fresh and clean, Robin smiled, stretched, and laid down to sleep with his hair spread on the pillow, his hands above his head, and the comforter tossed somewhere over his legs. Tonight, he was too tired to think and just told Slade 'good night' without a fuss. It almost took Slade a full minute to return it. Robin mustered a smile. He didn't know why he was so content suddenly, but recently Slade's company wasn't half bad.

Robin was already falling asleep, but, from the corner of his eye, he saw Slade standing next to the bed while admiring his body. But he was too tired to remember that when the morning came.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: **I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and tell me so. I didn't get much reviews on the last chapter, but I don't mind. Against common believe: I do not write this for you. Sorry. I write this form my own pleasure. I would enjoy hearing how I did, though.

Have I improved on my writing? I know I had a really long break at a point, so I would like to know if it did me any good? When the story progressess, I would like to know how I did in all those different situations. So do not hold back if you think this is cr*p, and tell me so, so I can improve.**  
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Normally when Robin dreamed, they involved his friends. They were usually just having fun or doing things together. Other times, he would see dreams about driving his motorcycle. The speed would be so reckless and wild that things just whooshed past him. At times he drove in Jump, sometimes in Gotham, and sometimes on a sand road. Other times he would be giving it some gas from the gas stations set within endless wheat fields for as far as the eye could see. In other dreams he was still merged with the previous day, during which he was beating up some monster or jumping across the rooftops or running through alleyways. Sometimes he even dreamed about Starfire. But this time it wasn't about Starfire at all. This time, it was about Slade, and not in the usual sense. Robin had had dreams about Slade before, that was true. If only one could call them dreams. Usually they were nightmares about him being chased and hurt by an orange and black-colored, faceless man in the shadows, which everyone knew as Slade. But, tonight, it was different. Because now it definitely was a dream rather than a nightmare.

Robin felt calm and peaceful in his dream. No running, no fighting, and no meaningless quarrel. In his dream there were just him and Slade. They were still inside the base, having time off. At the moment they didn't need to do anything, so they were in the bed chamber. Slade was currently sitting in his usual chair and Robin was sitting on the end of the bed. They were having a pleasant conversation, which Robin wouldn't fully remember once he woke up. He was enjoying the conversation, whatever it was on, and it seemed that Slade was enjoying it too. Robin was so carefree, then, and would even laugh at times without worrying about the possible consequences of it. It seemed that they even had a playful bet going on, trying to prove each other wrong in a competition on who was right, which Slade ultimately won. Then Robin moaned and stretched his arms in the air, as a sign of giving up before falling to the bed on his back. He was still laughing and mumbling something in his defense, but stopped mid-sentence when he felt the bed tip beside him. Looking over, he saw that Slade had taken a seat next to him. This made Robin sit up next to him. He looked at him in wonder before he moved to ruffle his hair and then resting his hand on his shoulder. Robin would laugh and hold Slade's hand as he tried to playfully push him away for messing with his already messed up hair.

The dreams kept changing scenario after scenario, some turning more bold and grotesque as they came. First they were simple touches, a few charming words, and, once, was something as simple as a hug, which made Robin's skin get goosebumps in a good way. It seemed that the dreams were innocent. Robin could remember dreams where he had been waiting for Slade to arrive from a mission or vice versa and, once they saw each other, they'd shake hands and escort the other inside with his hand on his shoulder. It was only after that that the dreams got more audacious. At first it was the touches, going further, staying longer, feeling more welcome and pleasant every time. Then it turned downright courting. Robin remembered Slade burying his masked face against his neck, his breath making his hair flutter. He could feel his chest on his back, like a warm and sturdy shelter for him and only him. He could feel Slade's hand wandering along his chest and sides, and closer to his hips. As Robin felt the wave of pleasure travel through his body for the first time, he woke up with a jolt. He was slightly out of breath, felt groggy and confused, and was in complete darkness of their room. It probably wasn't all that late, seeing as Slade was still sleeping on the other side of the bed. He was a respectable length away; not too close, not too far. He was sleeping peacefully and breathing slowly and evenly without moving an inch. Robin noted he laid in a completely straight position on his back with his arms at his sides. He himself was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed and presenting a morning wood. This was so embarrassing. It was happening right here? Now? Thank god Slade was asleep…

Robin started to turn around to sneak to the toilet to take a piss. His back was to Slade and he prayed to all the gods that the floor didn't creak and that he was silent enough to prevent waking the mercenary up. He snuck to the bathroom and silently slid the door open. He then maneuvered himself inside from the small opening and closed the door behind him. The slight slam made him jump since he had heard nothing but silence up to that point. At that point, Robin was sure he alerted the sleeping man. So he squeezed his eyes shut and locked the door with a faint click, which was, hopefully, silent enough. Not that Robin knew, but Slade hadn't woken up to any of those noises. He actually had been awake the moment Robin moved on the bed the first time. To be even more truthful, he had been watching him writhe in his sleep, but decided to leave him be since he was obviously having a good one. It wasn't hard for a trained assassin to feign sleep once he actually woke up. Robin was so fascinatingly adorable when he awoke in the wits of the night. His eyes had been half open, he still looked somewhat tired, and he had groggily observed his surroundings. Slade noted he spent slightly longer than usual to observe Slade himself, but, as he finally tried to inch himself to the bathroom without being noticed by him, he decided to leave it alone. He had noticed the boy's _small_ problem, but even he wasn't evil enough to start torturing a man because of his natural occurrences.

Robin, on the other hand, was standing with his legs crossed in front of the toilet and having a decision to make: jerk off or take a cold shower. He wasn't sure which would make more noise, his accidental moans or the shower. Of course, the shower would be much easier to explain, so that's what he chose. Besides, jerking off for a man who was right behind the wall wasn't what he wished to go through. Where had that dream even come from? Did they mean anything? At first, he was sure they were just because of hormones and the fact that he and Slade were getting along better and almost enjoyed each others' company. Robin wouldn't go as far as thinking of him as a friend, since it was clear they weren't and never would be. With that cleared out-of-the-way, he started the shower and bravely stepped under the cold spray that would wash away his problems.

The cold water was itching and freezing his skin, making it tingle and form goosebumps. At least it served its purpose. Robin barely had time to turn off the shower and run to the toilet before he was already relieving his bladder. Mornings like this made him hate his own self. It was already weird, but in a situation like this? It just didn't make sense. Couldn't the upper powers have chosen a more embarrassing moment for this? Robin resumed to dry himself off from the cold water still dripping down his skin and then changed back into his night pants. He thought he was cooled down enough to return to bed and maybe get some more sleep. He didn't know what time it was, but since Slade was still sleeping, it couldn't have been that much. He always woke before he did.

Robin cracked open the door to sneak into the room. Slade was still in the same position from before and still seemed to be asleep. Robin was in luck. He silently closed the door behind him, this time being able to silence a slam, and then tip-toed back to the bed and got under the warm covers. It was always nice to do so after a cold shower. He enjoyed the warmth that surrounded him and felt content under the covers, but the moment he stopped to relax and get back to sleep, the thoughts flowed over him like a flood breaking through a dam, making him somewhat disturbed. Not as much as he was confused, but still. Since when had his subconscious turned against him to team up with Slade? That was _so_ not fair. Robin wondered just where his mind was aiming. Dreams usually repeated the scenes from the day before in order to clear out thoughts. Usually some fantasy was included, but he still wondered where this dream had come from. He and Slade had, after all, gotten along just great the day before. Well, not actually _great_, but better. Was he secretly wanting to get along with him? Well, maybe he was. Who wanted to fight until all eternity anyway? Surely not him.

Somehow, sleep didn't come easy for Robin. His thoughts were running in circles for what felt like eternity until he finally fell into a fitful sleep. The dreams continued, but they didn't get any worse than they already had. Once the morning did finally come, Robin felt tired, but there was a small linger in the bottom of his stomach that made him feel good. He wasn't at all stressed, jumpy, or even nervous. He was really calm, even if his eyelids felt like they were made of lead.

"Morning, Robin."

It was Slade. He was on the other side of the room, sitting in his usual seat and looking at Robin. It seemed that he had been waiting for him to awaken because there was nothing on his table. No reports, no files, no nothing.

"Morning…" Robin mumbled back, rubbing his eyes. He was still somewhat tired, but he didn't want to show it. When in the tower, he'd wake up with his usual routine—a few minutes before six—and be ready to face the day. He did not want that to change.

"Did you sleep well?" Slade asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

It seemed he had been awake for a while now and was in no hurry. Robin stretched on the bed. First he stretched his arms up towards the ceiling and then stretched his legs by taking a hold of his foot and pressing his forehead against his knee.

"I slept okay. I woke up a couple of times and I remember seeing some dream, but for the love of god can't remember about what…"

Robin suddenly reddened in the face and he stopped stretching.

"Is it all coming back now?" Slade asked, half in curiosity, half teasing.

"Erm, yeah." It sure did. Not all of it, though, just the obvious. Slade didn't know, did he? "It's nothing," Robin mumbled, rising rose from the bed and going back to stretching, to look busy.

Slade was eying him up. Robin was distracted enough not to mind that he was only wearing the pajama pants. Slade loved to watch how his pectorals, abs, biceps, and all the other muscles in his body bent and stretched as he went.

"No, really, what was it about?" Slade questioned, counting that Robin performed while his feet were tucked under the bed.

"Nothing special. I was still here, probably still in this very same situation, and it was basically just us two. Nothing special." Robin panted between the sit ups. He didn't want to tell Slade the truth, but he knew that if he just told him something he'd stop asking. Maybe he should distract him? "What about you?"

"Me?" Slade inquired, faking surprise. "Hmm, well I hardly ever sleep and even sparsely dream when I do. I don't need to sleep much," he added quietly.

"Insomnia? No, you were sleeping just fine last night. I saw."

Robin huffed and finished his repeats before getting to his pushups.

"What makes you think I wasn't just lying there for fun?" Slade asked evilly.

Even though he was wearing a mask, Robin could feel the grin on him. He paused to stare at him in disbelief. "You did not. You were sleeping. Hell, you didn't even wake up when I left to use the bathroom."

"Who says I didn't?"

The mock was thick in his voice, but Robin was too defensive to notice. At first, he didn't know how to answer other than to open his mouth like a fish on dry land before he finally got up and left to fetch his clothes that he started to miss thanks to the cold air.

"I don't care, really. I don't. End of discussion."

Robin went to pull an undershirt on over his head, but didn't get far as Slade asked, "Were they sweet nightmares?"

Robin spun around. "They were not nightmares!" Realizing what he just said, he covered his mouth.

"I knew they weren't," Slade said, his glee hidden rather well. Then he stood from his seat and walked over to where Robin was standing near the closet.

"What are you getting at?" Robin mumbled with his shirt almost pulled over his head, the armpits wrinkled.

"Nothing, so just relax. It's not a big deal. Besides, I had some pretty nice dreams myself," Slade purred in a deep voice, which, combined with the feel of his hands along Robin's sides as he lowered the undershirt in place, gave him chills. "I'll be in the training room once you are done. I have a training course set up for you."

Slade had a last longing look at him before he walked out of the room, leaving Robin alone to think. Once he was fully changed, he went to the training room. He had been dwelling on confusion ever since Slade left him this morning. He was pretty sure that he was messing with him and just being an ass. Or, at least, that's what he wanted to believe. It was confusing enough with those weird dreams and then Slade, too. Luckily today's training would let him concentrate on something else. Yeah, a distraction was exactly what he needed.

Robin entered the room. It was the one from the very beginning, with sand serving as a floor and which had a more normal feel to it than the metal rooms. Slade was standing in the middle of it. Robin was hesitant about meeting him from the beginning, but since he already came this far, he decided to keep going.

"Slade," Robin greeted, facing him in a straight standing position.

Slade greeted him as well. "I have prepared a small performance enhancement exercise for you. I will be teaching you to trust something more than with just your eyes. I noted that you take in a lot of detail, but you don't see the blow coming. Be prepared and I'll show you what I mean." Slade took out a retractable bo staff and then went into position, to show Robin that he was ready. He nodded, Slade instantly aiming straight for his head, but, at the last moment, redirecting the blow. Instead, he aimed at the back of his knees, knocking him down. Robin had felt the wind rush through his hair as the staff avoided hitting his head just millimeters from the assumed target. Slade then pressed the staff to his neck without putting any pressure on it. If this had been a real fight, he would have been in an instant KO. "You see what I mean? You look at the staff, you try to read the body language, but you still don't see it from coming," Slade explained. "I want you to learn to use your other senses. They were, after all, given to you for that purpose." Slade moved the staff away to let Robin back on his feet. "Are you ready to begin, or would you like a demonstration first?"

Robin didn't fully know what Slade meant by a demonstration, but since he had the choice, he decided to hear it out. "Good. Here, have this." Slade threw the staff to him and then stood in a perfect posture. "If you can hit me, you can have my respect, because that's the next thing I'm going to teach you once you learn to duck." Slade prepared for an incoming attack. "Once you know how to duck in this situation, you will learn to read your opponent and, thus, know how to take him by surprise." Robin nodded in understanding and announced that he was ready. Slade gave a nod as a sign that he was ready too. So Robin charged. He knew that a person had a reflex to protect the head if it was threatened in any way, so he aimed there, planning to hit Slade in the chest and knock the wind out of him. Before he noticed it himself, Slade hadn't even raised his hands to cover his head, but they were already by his chest with a firm grip around the staff. "You see what I meant?" Slade lowered it and waited for Robin to let go so he could take it back. "You have to not only see the movement of the staff, but of my eye and how my muscles twitch when I prepare to move. If I am too fast for you, you should use your ears. You can still hear me even if you are not facing me. Try not to keep an eye only on the weapon itself. After all, it isn't the weapon that kills people, it's the man holding it. Now, stay right there and only move when you feel the need to."

After his explanation, Slade took a hold of the staff and slowly moved it horizontally, holding it in a vertical position. Standing lax and completely still, Robin kept his eye on the staff, looking as it passed over to his right, then to his left. He saw how Slade's hand had a firm grip on it and the movement tipping slightly down every time. Soon he was predicting it, knowing that it would start turning right and then left the moment it was far enough and then repeat. The staff was once again going left, but suddenly Slade turned his wrist and the staff unexpectedly aimed to hit Robin in the groin, which he tried to dodge to the best of his abilities. He had managed to save the most important parts, but the staff had hit him on the knee.

"You see how you keep looking at the staff? You should look at my eyes and, if possible, my hands. But the most important part is to look at my feet. From the legs, you can see what I'm doing because, no matter what we do, we'll automatically tense the muscles to balance out, for whatever movement is to come. That way, also, you won't get distracted by the false moves." Slade moved the staff back to his side. "Try again, but this time, try not to look at the staff."

He lifted the staff once again and started to twirl it around, making it swirl past Robin's left side, do a loop in front of him, and then swing it by his right side, repeating the gesture. The movement was fast and it took some effort to stay focused on the staff alone. That's when Robin remembered to look at something else than the obvious. First, he saw Slade's hand moving the staff around. Then he saw how he used his fingers efficiently to handle it, never faltering. The movement was firm, constant, and fast. Soon he noticed that the original movement was changing and then quickly realized Slade was about to hit. From the position he was in, he shielded his sides, knowing that the location of the staff would make them the easiest and closest thing to hit. For the first time, he managed to cover completely. Too bad Slade aimed for his ankle soon after, the sting from his foot telling him that he had hit him straight on the calcareous; the heel bone. It was thanks to the direct blow to the weight carrier that caused Robin to falter as he accidentally lost his footing. He didn't fall because he managed to stabilize himself with his other leg. Slade sure knew what he was doing. Now it hurt for him to stand and, thanks to that, moving would be slower on his part.

"At least it was better than your last try. But remember, Robin, your hands are what you can use the best. You know your own hands, so you can count on that I know how to maneuver mine. What you don't know is what someone else can do. Paying attention to hands is difficult. People can be deceitful. I suggest you look at something that someone won't keep attention to for himself. That way, he won't even notice if he's letting something out," Slade explained, starting to swing the staff again.

This time he was moving it around in circles with one hand while raising it up and down at the same time. The circles were, again, in a horizontal position and Robin kept track of his hands. Slade was moving the staff very efficiently, even if it was long, heavy, and thick, unlike the pen Robin had seen him toy with when he thought he wasn't watching. Slade sure was talented with his fingers and he wouldn't even doubt if he could fool him with his hands alone. Robin carefully started to search for any giveaways from his body. He saw how his muscles in his arm flexed every time he lifted his hand or brought it back down. He could also see how concentrated Slade was in his work. He didn't need to look at his hands to see that he was doing his job properly, but instead buried his sight deep within Robin's gaze. It seemed as if Slade was watching, reading, and observing him. The gaze seemed to dig down deep into him and almost felt like it was burning him. Robin didn't let his sight wander though. He wanted to see if Slade would twitch his eye when he made his move. He wanted to learn how to read him.

Slade quickly made his move. Robin saw how the muscles of his hand tensed when he moved the staff, but there was nothing in his eye. He did dodge though. Then he saw Slade take a quick look at his lower abdomen and knew where he would aim next. He quickly drew his hand to at least knock away the blow, but, to his luck, he managed to grab the end just in time to stop it from hitting his kidneys.

"Very good, Robin. Now, envision an opponent with a visor protecting his vision. You may not see his eyes then, so pay attention to other body parts, too," Slade explained, and began to swing his staff again.

This time he was using both hands, swinging it in circles, this time vertically. Robin remembered to look at the man's legs, which, in this case, was a great option. He could see both the staff swinging by and the movement of his legs. Robin saw how he inched his weight from side-to-side according to the staff's movement. Slade was putting extra weight on his right side, helping him make his balance better. He could see him inch to the right as he moved to the right and vice versa. He saw him bend his knees if need be and could see how he hovered from side-to-side only so slightly to balance the staff's moves. And then Slade attacked, Robin seeing it immediately. He saw how he managed to gain some footing to the added weight from the right side before he swung. Robin could hear the wind being split by the staff as it whooshed through the air and saw the height that the hit was aimed at by the way he bent his knees. If he just bent them without aiming any lower than he did, then he was aiming somewhere at waist height. If he tipped any lower, then he'd be aiming for his feet. But it was at neither of those places. Robin saw the slight arch and he knew immediately that the blow was aimed at his neck. So he crouched, heard and felt the wind blow over him as the staff missed its goal, and, right after he dodged the attack, spun around to take the staff away from Slade, which he did.

"I saw you. Now it's my turn," Robin said.

Getting into a starting position—legs spread securely under him with the staff in front to protect his body—he got ready to attack.

"Ready when you are," Slade said, taking a defensive position too.

From the one visible eye, Robin could read that he was inconspicuously saying, "Go for it, I dare you" and was smiling. He tried to attack him, but Slade seemed to be able to read him like an open picture book. Robin tried to distract him by changing the attack course, but to no avail. Slade easily saw through him. He kept an eye on him, looking at the signs and changing of his eye and body. He was happy to announce that he was getting better and better at reading him. He could tell where Slade was going to protect himself and what his intentions were, but he just wasn't fast enough. Slade always managed to halt the incoming attack before it actually landed.

In the next forty-five minutes, Robin hadn't even been close to hitting him. He had to come up with a new tactic because it was quite obvious that just reading his movements and trying to change the attack course wasn't going to be enough. He had to wonder what he was doing wrong, or wasn't doing at all, to understand what was wrong. Robin once again attacked Slade, taking a jump to the skies and making the staff circle constantly above his head as he prepared to attack. He knew that the most obvious way would be to just attack the head. Knowing Slade was expecting that exact move, he, instead, aimed for his feet. Robin saw what he was about to do of course, once he was already going through with the action, so he couldn't really do much about it. So what was he doing wrong? He had been reading Slade just fine, but he couldn't go fast enough. So if he couldn't distract him or read him fast enough, what was he to do?

As soon as he asked, it came to him. Maybe it wasn't in him at all. Maybe he was doing it just fine while Slade was doing it better. Robin then tried to figure out how he could reduce Slade's preform. His best guess was to put himself in his position. Slade looked at the body language and the movement of the eyes, then there was nothing but reflex to stop the attack- The body language…? Yes, that was the key! If Robin could make his body language less obvious, maybe Slade couldn't read him as easily and wouldn't know how to dodge. But how was he going to do that? Soon, Robin gained a whole new approach. So far, he had been fighting like a wild beast with just the intent of hitting his foe, so of course his more than presenting moves were foretelling. So what did he need to read when Slade was dodging his attacks? If something went wrong, Slade would only need to look at the new location the hit was aimed for. He would then need to bend his knees in accordance with the height of the hit and then add weight to the leg, which he needed in order to balance him. There were a million and one small details to look at in Robin, and now he needed to hide them all. He needed to come up with a move that was neutral. He would still need to be in constant motion, but only enough to make one nervous in anticipation of an attack that might not even come.

Robin proceeded to make figure eights in the air with the staff, using that as his constant movement. He was already panting because he had been on the move for almost an hour straight. Robin then came up with a new motion: tiptoe while circling around Slade. He thought that if he only had a clear view of his legs, then he'd only have to worry about his legs' performance to succeed. Though, the fact that he was spinning circles forced his balance off, so he nearly lost his footing. So in other words, he needed to bend his knees to gain some friction before he could plan on attacking in any way. This wasn't going to be easy for him.

Robin spun around Slade quickly, then finally took action. As he was positioned with his back facing him, he prepared to jump, but instead swung the staff to the right, adding his weight to his right foot. Slade, of course, read the movement the moment it registered, but Robin was one step ahead. He had Slade exactly where he wanted him. The man was covering his right side, but Robin decided to attack straight up front by jabbing the staff on the exposed side between his arm and ribs so that he couldn't see the incoming attack.

Slade tried to cover the blow, now that he finally knew where Robin was aiming and managed to move his hands to cover his side, but he had no time to read his next move. He crouched and stabbed the underside of the man's chin, making his head snap backwards and forcing him to fall from the unstable balance. Robin saw it like in a slow motion scene of a movie. Slade fell backwards and hit the ground. The fall made the sand jump into the air and then hover. He had no time to get up because Robin had jumped up and pointed the staff right at his Adam's apple. He panted heavily down at him.

"Gotcha!"

Slade finally sneered and praised, "It seems that you have." Robin smiled and swelled with pride. He finally retracted the staff helped Slade up. Once he was back on his feet, he handed it over. Slade patted him on the shoulder. "Great job Robin. Now, let's get some breakfast."

Slade rubbed Robin's shoulder. Robin didn't know why he decided to walk with him to the kitchen with his hand there, but he didn't feel like complaining. Even if he was still breathless from the exercise, he felt even better as Slade rubbed his shoulder and back. Robin was swooning with pride and the only thing upsetting the moment was that he didn't know what to do with his hands. He couldn't reach Slade's shoulder for the position to be comfortable and he wasn't going to have his arm on his waist. He didn't want to stop him from petting his shoulder, so he decided to stuff his hands in his pockets. Robin was smiling widely as Slade slid his hand against his arm, feeling how he was, for the moment, proud of his achievement too.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Last chapter in a nut shell: Robin learns some new techniques on reading an opponent's movements and coming up with a way to counter them

AN: In the last chapter I posted a very detailed warning that offended some people. I had no idea this would happen, so I apologize. When my beta SladinForever edits the older chapters, the warning will be shortened to "there will be some content that may or may not offend my readers in future chapters. You have been warned". Again, I apologize for anyone that I offended; it wasn't my intentions at all. People who were offended know what I am talking abaout, and I hope that my apology will make you feel better.

BTW, It's now my birthday. Let's selebrate it with a new chapter of TYM!

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Robin and Slade enjoyed their breakfast with slight chatter. The subjects from the morning were still present, but not enough to affect the conversation. Slade was telling him about his new mission. Robin presented his opinions with eager interest at certain points. The mission itself was easy. He was to enter the Wayne Industries skyscraper located in Jump City, grab the objective, and return. The trip was reserved for two and a half hours, which Robin considered was way too much time for him since he knew his way around. On the plus side, he had all the passwords to use wherever he pleased, so it wouldn't be a problem to sneak in or out. In fact, the only thing he would need to do would be to hide from the observing eyes and camera lenses, and then he'd be as good as done. Not that Robin would tell any of this to Slade. Slade probably knew too much of him already.

Once they both finished their meal, they left the dishes for the robots to take care of. They got to the huge white room to get Robin's supplies. Even if neither of them had anything worth saying, Robin felt at ease. He couldn't put a finger on the sudden change in his opinion towards Slade, but he guessed it was because he had saved him from the not-so-fatal tape worm. And now that he had learned to stand him, he slowly learned to respect him too. Robin had noticed that he had held more than enough prejudice opinions on Slade and, like the rest of the world, had dubbed him nothing more than an evil asshole who would do the things he did merely for fun. He had learned that with Slade, everything had a reason and every reason had something behind it. The man never did anything without fully thinking it through. Robin was slowly starting to understand him. The information he was gaining here would be more than useful once he returned home. With all the new things he had learned, he could easily come up with a plan to take Slade down once and for all! But the thought of life without Slade, as peaceful and safe as it was, was rather uneventful. Not that he wanted the man to terrorize the streets or haunt his dreams, but in some sick, twisted way, Robin knew that he would miss him. Slade had been his obsession from day one. He was a man of shadow, one who no one could read, and who could never be beat. Robin knew that, no matter how you managed to beat him to the edge of the world, in due time, he would always return to make someone's life hell. Without Slade, there would only be those second class criminals to occupy him.

On the other hand, Robin was glad to stay here, even if it was for a short time. Slade had been almost tolerable and he always gave challenging and intellectual conversations. He was very wise and it was always interesting to jump into a conversation about plans, tactics, and solutions. The mercenary always brought a new point of view to a subject or mission. He made Robin see things, not from one perspective, but from _all_ perspectives. He couldn't have such conversations with any of his friends. Raven, maybe, but she would tire of it quickly and resume meditation. Cyborg would probably love to talk about all the high tech smarts, but even Robin knew that he was easily distracted by Beast Boy.

"We are here," Slade said, bringing Robin from his musings to the present.

He was somewhat glad that his thoughts had been cut. If he continued like this, he would find even more things to differ between Slade and the Titans. He didn't want to compare the two since they couldn't be compared to each other at all. They were different, opposites, incompatible! So to get himself back on his feet, Robin went to get his equipment. He opened the storage within the wall and dug out some random objects to make it look like he was picking up useful tools. Truth be told, the only tool he really needed was his fingerprint to open all the doors of Wayne Enterprises since he was Wayne's adopted heir. Slade had all kinds of interesting supplies within the closet, so of course Robin took what he deemed as the most interesting. He wanted to test out Slade's equipment. Who knows, maybe they were better than his? He wondered if he could modify and improve his own devices thanks to these. Robin searched through the storage, picking up a compact grappling hook. The reeling mechanism and wire cord was inside and it didn't take as much space as his grapple normally did. Either the cord was shorter or Slade somehow found a way to make very durable string that was less thick.

The next thing Robin picked up was his favorite retractable bo staff, some tiny smoke bombs, and tiny cameras. He had no idea what he could do with those, but they looked interesting. Robin also had his eyes set on a pair of gloves. He didn't know what all they could be used on, but since they were in the closet, they had to be something special. His curiosity managed to convince him to take them on the mission. The storage held all kinds of cool equipment: night sticks, daggers, bombs, and practically everything from laser pointers to detonators to heavy weaponry. To be honest, he wanted to try them all. He was like a kid in a candy store. Robin had to eye them a moment longer before he put in his ear piece and prepared to leave for the mission. Slade looked Robin over once he was in full gear and ready to go before nodding his approval. He noticed which tools he had picked for himself, but didn't mention it. If he wanted to start climbing up roofs with the grappling hook, then so be it.

"Your aim is to get the prototype of the artificial intelligence Mr. Wayne has been designing," Slade explained.

"What are you planning to do with it once you get it?" Robin questioned, more concerned than anything. He didn't want to go stealing from his own family and let Slade win too easily.

"It depends. Mainly I plan on making my robot's smarter, but my curiosity is also in mind. I want to know if Wayne has achieved something new. Artificial intelligence is a really tricky thing that not many can understand, more or less program…"

Stopping, Slade's brow furrowed ever so slightly when he saw Robin pass him to make way for the exit, grinning.

"So you're basically jealous?" Slade's eye narrowed dangerously. Noticing the scolding eye, Robin knew that he was right. "So in the end, you just want whatever Wayne has that you don't."

Folding his arms over his chest, Slade glared, his eye piercing him, almost as though he was trying to will Robin to be quiet. He got the hint, so he simply smiled once more and walked out. Slade dropped the act when he was no longer in eyesight. He knew that jealousy was far from his intentions, but he didn't want Robin to know that. He didn't want him to start rebelling or worry. In Slade's opinion, it was good to be prepared. And that's what he was doing: He was getting prepared for something he felt was coming. He didn't know what or how quite yet, but he just knew. It had been so quiet the last week, too quiet for his liking. No one had been making any connections to him and Robin wasn't too badly missed, from the Titans or anyone else. Of course there were tons of curious people and several rumors going around, but no one had yet come knocking on his door and demand some answers. Robin, on the other hand, knew absolutely nothing. He could help Slade gather whatever he needed, without so much of inquiries involved. It was a win-win situation: Robin received some freedom and Slade would achieve what he was looking for. Or course it had risks, but he knew, in the end, it would profit him better than him going out to get what he needed or locking Robin up. Slade didn't feel like he was keeping secrets from him because he didn't think they had any effect on his life. With luck, maybe they could spend the rest of the week in peace and Robin would never know. Why bother him with petty, mundane things that probably had nothing to do with him? Slade didn't want Robin's hero complex to jump in and go against him, now that he was trying to dull his need to sort things from good or bad, right or wrong. Who knows, maybe he was wrong after all?

Outside Slade's base, Robin scratched the spot behind his ear where the chip was installed as he wondered where he should get his disguise. He couldn't just waltz in wearing Slade's trademark uniform. It would have been so easy to take a quick turn through the tower and get some clothes, but, no thanks to the damn chip, he knew that no such thing could ever happen. Not if he wanted to stay on Slade's good side, anyway. Instead, Robin decided to get going and think of something on the way.

The trip over there was short, but Robin managed to think quickly. It wouldn't be too hard to get some kind of disguise. He doubted that Bruce would hunt him down if he did pay him a visit. To be honest, Robin was positive that the Titans would have called Batman for help, if only they knew how to contact him. Maybe it would be easier for him to get a full body disguise, seeing as Bruce would recognize him anywhere, from his hair to his mask or anything really. He also decided to take an alternative course through the doors. It was pretty risky for him to use his fingerprint, seeing as Wayne's database would save the information for future reference. Maybe he should take the ventilator shafts instead. Robin knew the blueprints of the place better than the back of his own hand, so it would be easy and quick to navigate from one place to the other. Then he wouldn't even need the damned disguise. Yeah, that was the better plan, he decided. Now it was time to put it into action.

Wayne Industries was located in the very middle of Jump. The tower was easily one of the highest buildings there, but it was also well secured. Well, to anyone except Robin that is. He knew every single security camera position, the shifts and locations where the guards worked, all the codes and numbers to open the doors, and so on. Of course Bruce hadn't given these to him willingly, but everyone knew that with his curiosity, Robin would find out about anything eventually. So sneaking into the building wasn't a problem. It was easy to sneak past the guards and even easier to travel through the building and avoid the cameras. Not even the infrared sensors could catch him because he already knew where they were located. He did have to take a thousand and one alternative routes around the tower, but it was easy to get in. The only problem that he faced was distracting all of the people who worked there. The artificial intelligence was kept in the laboratory, along with some professors and scientists working there.

It didn't take Robin long to get into the building, travel through the vents, and to be crouching in the air shaft above the room. He was looking through the small slits of the air conditioning vent. Everyone was working passionately, but it wasn't long before a man in a lab coat ran in. He seemed to be talking about something to the other men, which Robin couldn't hear due to the whirring fan. Within seconds the men cleared the room, which he found weird, but welcoming. First, he went to unplug the camera cord and then rushed to the examination table that his objective was hooked up to. It looked like a small chip that was attached to many wires and cords and there were a few lights blinking every few seconds. Robin carefully detached the wires and then lifted it in the air to take a better look at it. It was peculiar that he didn't know Bruce was working on something like this. Maybe he needed to keep better track of him and his work.

"Robin, what the heck are you doing here?" someone asked behind him.

Robin jolted around in surprise. When he saw who it was, he gritted his teeth. "I should be asking you the same question, Red X!" he hissed, quickly pocketing the chip in his belt.

Ah, Red X, the teen dressed all in black except for the white skull mask with one end of the red X crossing over one eye. An even bigger enigma than Slade could ever be. Or maybe they were equally mysterious. Either way, he was there, and in Robin's way. The question was left open in the air, but it didn't take X long to answer it.

"We're here for the same reason it seems. Since when have you been stealing? By the way, love the new outfit."

If Red was trying to pass off flattery, it worked, much to Robin's disapproval. As X circled him, Robin never took his eyes off him. He just didn't trust the thief at all.

"You didn't fully answer my question," he said hostilely. Red X may have been the older of the two, but Robin was nowhere near scared.

"Hey, hey, chill! I got it all under control! I'm just here to retrieve some goodies to sell to the highest bidder. A man's got to eat right? I mean, Slade probably spoon feeds you and all…" Red X sneered, Robin glaring back at him.

"What do you know about any of this?"

Red X shrugged. "I don't. I just took a notice to your new change of colors and, according to the rumor that you have been gone for nearly a week, I just put two and two together. Makes me wonder what you see in that kind of man…" Walking over to a table to examine the items on it, X swiftly grabbed some to put in his own pockets. He really had no shame, what with the hero of the city standing right behind him and all! "I wonder how you even got in here. I had to bust my ass to get here. I had to do my research and here you are, standing around like nobody's business." When Robin didn't offer any kind of answer other than a sneer, he added, "Fine, don't tell. Not like I care to know anyway."

"What do you want?" Robin asked one more time through clenched teeth.

Red X had been emptying several tables, filling up almost a full bag before he decided to answer. "Answers. Everyone is curious. What happened to the Boy Wonder? Where is Robin? When is he coming back? What happened? I guess that Slade happened, but I want details. I haven't seen him in weeks."

Red X attached the bag to his waist. He then walked over to Robin until he was almost standing chest to chest with him. Robin could tell that he was eying him from top to bottom, before finally standing still.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Robin asked, not seeing a reason to raise his voice now that the thief was so close. He didn't want to draw in anymore unwanted attention.

"Well, no reason. But I could always make a bet with you, because I know something that you are more than eager to know about," X tempted him.

Robin eyed him carefully, trying to stay rooted to the spot, even though Red was a few inches taller than him. Damn being short… Robin was trying not to show any weakness during a moment like this.

"Like what?"

What indeed? What could the thief possibly know that he didn't?

Red grinned deviously behind the mask. "Like Slade, perhaps. I can tell you about him, including what's _after_ him." There was a hint of mystery at the end of his sentence.

"What's after him?" Robin pried, only to get a laugh in return.

"Like I should tell you! But I tell you what; I'll let you know what you want to know as long as you do the same for me in return. Though I'm surprised that you don't know," Red explained, playing with his gloves. "The information is precise, I tell you, and I must admit that only rare and carefully selected ears may hear this. I know because I managed to be at the right place at the right time. Lucky me, I guess. But seriously, I won't pass you a word if you don't squeal first. I'm a curious man after all."

Robin snorted. "I shouldn't be telling you anything."

Even though he said that, Red X could tell by how his voice quivered that he was seriously considering the exchange. If anything, Robin was at least as curious as he was.

"Fine. Let's make a deal then," X suggested, placing a hand on Robin's shoulder as a friendly encouragement. He held the touch no longer than a maximum of two seconds. "I'll race you to the bank. If you can get to the diamond vault before me, I will reveal all I know. But, if you lose, well, then you better confess your little heart out. And please, you better not hold out on the details, because I want to know _everything_." Without taking his eyes off his face, Red X snatched one more circuit from the table it was held on. "Deal or no deal?"

Robin considered his options. If he lost, he would need to tell X about his and Slade's deal. But was that really a big deal? Red X wouldn't tell the Titans, would he? Robin was leaning more towards no. X may be a thief, but he was definitely someone who could keep a secret and stay true to his word. Robin remembered that he actually helped him out at times if it suited him. If he decided to do this, at least he wasn't hurting for time. He still had a little less than two hours left of Slade's time, which would be more than enough. Robin truly was curious and now that Red X had gotten his attention, he would find out what it was, not giving up until he did.

"Promise me that no soul will hear about this. Nothing we say is to be passed on. I don't want anyone to know. Especially not the Titans."

Red X whistled. "Oooh, bad boy, you have been keeping secrets from your friends! Shame! It seems that our golden boy isn't as pure as we all thought," Red X teased, laying a playful punch to Robin's chest, which he ignored.

"They are not to be bothered," he grumbled, giving him a nasty glare.

"I kid, I kid. And I get what you mean too. No reason to get angry here! And I promise, I will not tell a single soul! And you can trust me on that. No one is supposed to hear anyway. And who on earth could spy on us in the diamond vault? That place is secured so bad that it's a miracle if we both can get in undetected."

Knowing he was right, Robin dropped the glare. "Deal."

Red X grinned under his mask. "And the contract is signed."

He walked to the center of the laboratory, where a large glass container was located. Inside was a huge machine that was plugged into an average-sized projectile that Robin didn't know much about. From what he knew, the box inside was either an external memory or a hard drive storage unit. It was a fair-sized square of about thirty centimeters plugged into many wires. The glass had holes punctured in it, probably to let air travel freely inside the vault.

"We shall meet inside the vault at the only blind side from all the cameras. Whoever reaches the spot first, wins." Red X shot an X-shaped projectile at the glass, making it explode into tiny pieces. Robin had to cover his eyes from the shards. He then heard a loud siren. By the time he opened his eyes, he saw that the area was starting to lock them inside. Red X calmly unplugged the hard drive with a wide grin on his face. "This will sell for a fortune!" Robin snorted. "Oh, and the time starts now."

Side-by-side, they both jumped into their entrance ventilator shaft and, after sealing the opening behind them, started crawling deeper inside.

"How much would your friend Slade offer to get his hands on this external hard drive full of Wayne's secrets I wonder?" Red X questioned.

The words were just going to have to go to waste because Robin refused to answer for two reasons. For one, he didn't want to admit to anyone that Slade was a friend, anything but, and, secondly, it was Bruce's property. Robin would never disrespect his surrogate father like that. It didn't take them long to part ways, both leaving the tower separately. Inside was just total chaos. The guards were everywhere and workers and guests were running from all directions. Outside was just as bad, as cops showed up and search dogs were sniffing for clues. To make matters even worse, Robin could make out the size, shape, and exterior of the T-Car, the blue sides that matched Cyborg's mechanical parts shining in the sunlight. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. If he didn't get away from there quick, the Titans would discover him and he couldn't let that happen. One side of the building was vacant except for the parking lot and Robin caught a glimpse of Red X slipping through the many cars that were parked there. He bit the inside of his cheek in frustration when he saw him reach the street. The thief was already too far in the lead. Reaching into his belt, Robin yanked out the grapple, aimed for a lower roof not far from Wayne Industries, and fired. The hook caught the edge of the roof and he pushed the button to retract the line. He easily sailed to the other building without anyone noticing, just like Spiderman. Taking the roof would be the shortest and fastest way to get to the bank. It was more of his style anyway, whereas Red X used streets, alleys, and avenues.

Glancing back for just a moment, Robin saw the Titans working just fine without him, even though he felt like he was needed. He quickly shooed that thought from his head when he saw Beast Boy morph into a bloodhound. He fervently sniffed the ground, probably searching for the intruder's scent and the direction he or she was in. Robin quickly grew nervous, worried he'd pick his smell up. But he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Red X's vent exit was closer to their location, so Beast Boy smelled it first. His ears perked and then he lifted his muzzle to the sky to bark. Raven soon floated up to him, looking around. Beast Boy pointed at the parking lot to signal her and then started running in X's direction. Robin didn't know what god he should thank for his fortune, but then he remembered that his time was limited. Not going to give up the race so easily, he started sprinting across the rooftop, pulling out his bo staff as he did. No matter what, he would be first inside the bank's vault!

After countless rooftops and streets, Robin made it outside the bank. He quickly looked around for signs of Red X, but either he was invisible at the moment or distracting the Titans. The latter wasn't all that plausible. In such a tight knit race, he would try his damned hardest to get there before Robin. But, for now, the finish line was well in his favor. The only obstacle right now was breaking into the bank unnoticed. He had never broken into this one before, not that he broke into banks like some greedy thug, but the point still remained; how was he to get in? Robin gritted his teeth for while, not really having the time to stand still and figure things out. So he quickly decided that the roof entrance was best. He walked around the building to find a fire escape, but it was near the top. So taking his grapple again, he checked to make sure the wiring would hold, noticing how surprisingly thin it was. It wasn't even half a centimeter in diameter. It actually reminded him of fishing line. Could it really hold him a second time? He had used it once already at Wayne Industries so maybe it had lost its strength. Well, there was only one way to find out. Aiming at the bottom rung of the stepladder, he fired, felt the wire wrap around the step, and then pressed the button to reel him in. He swung for a moment, but placed his feet on the side to balance himself out and then started walking up. The wire did hold, much to his relief. It didn't take him long to reach the ladder, grab a hold of it, and pull his body up. After five steps, he made it onto the roof. About twenty yards away, he saw the entrance to the fire escape along with a vent or two. To be quite honest, Robin didn't feel like using the ventilation shafts this time. Going in and out was once enough for a day.

Robin walked over to the door and reached into a random pocket for a bomb. What he felt was much different. Gripping the item, he pulled his hand out, along with the gloves he had grabbed back at base. He felt the material with his fingers, noticing the strange texture to them. Robin slowly pulled the right one on and balled his hand into a fist. It fit him perfectly somehow, neither loose nor tight. Also, the red color was a nice addition. It wasn't a color he imagined suited Slade, but he wasn't complaining. He rubbed his fingers together, noting that they resisted the movement quite well. Upon closer inspection, he swore he could see itty-bitty buds, not knowing why they were part of normal-enough-looking gloves. So maybe they weren't special at all, just something to help with friction.

After pulling the other glove on, Robin went for another pocket and found the bomb he was looking for. There was some sticky substance on one side of it, so he fastened it to the lock of the door. He quickly retreated before it beeped once and then exploded with little to no noise. The door opened with a soft click. Robin pulled it open more and then snuck in, but not after checking to make sure there was no alarm system attached to the frame. He was lucky for there not to be any. With haste, he rushed in. If he remembered right, the diamond vault was vault number thirteen, which meant it wasn't located directly on the top floor. It was actually about three floors below him. It wouldn't be very easy to steal something so valuable near the last floor than it was from the bottom, so the bank's owner was being smart in that regard. Robin did notice a few cameras in the corners of each landing, but he easily avoided them by jumping over the railing instead of taking the steps. He made it to the corresponding floor faster than he would have if he had taken them. There was a single camera guarding the door that led out. He used his staff to push it around to the other side before slipping inside.

The bank was full of people. Walking out in the open would be too much of a hassle, given his strange uniform and all. So he quickly hid under the counter and checked around. He was currently surrounded by a Personnel Only restroom and either an information desk or cash register. This room had less people in it, way less than the room ahead of him. There were two men drinking coffee and eating buns while laughing and joking. Robin was relieved when they finished their pause and left to do their jobs. Once the room was empty, he quickly stood, climbed onto the coffee table, and checked the ceiling tiles. They were pretty basic and cheap. With just a soft push of his hand, one tile moved up, revealing a half a meter high, spacious room for him to travel in. The space was originally planned for wires, but all that was there was a rail where they would have been. Robin took a hold of it and pulled his body inside. Before making his way through, he slipped the square back into place and reminded himself that even the slightest bit of weight would cause the ceiling to fall right from under him. So he had to find something to take hold of if he planned on moving from here all the way to the vault door.

It was hard on Robin's hands to hold himself up in a nearly horizontal position. He tried to hold the rail with his legs too, but they always slipped. He was sweating and the thought of dropping made him nervous. He also didn't know the floor's blueprints, so, at times, he had to try and sneak a peek into the room by lifting one of the squares an inch or two only. At least he was lucky to have such good memory and it was easy for him to navigate. Robin soon reached the door that he had to pass in order to get behind the teller counter. From there he had to quickly sneak into the vault without camera or human detection. Of course, sneaking in the same way he had been doing it for the last few minutes wasn't an option. Otherwise anyone could enter without so much as a backward glance.

Robin was now over the door, ready to get into position. He took one more step further, reaching out with his hand to grab the next half-foot of rail, but his heel slipped from place. Robin suddenly plummeted, falling and swinging like a pendulum. He tried to bend his knees up to his chin, to prevent himself from hitting the tiles. That's what it felt like he was doing anyway. If he made one wrong move, he would fall right through the ceiling. But he didn't have time to worry about that because his hands suddenly slipped too. He felt his breakfast rush through his stomach from the shocking sensation of falling. He couldn't blow his cover now, otherwise everyone in Jump City would be after him. He squeezed his eyes shut, flexing his body to its limit as he prepared for the fall. But it never came. Robin was so puzzled that he opened his eyes to see what was going on. His hands weren't holding onto anything, but they were still attached to the rail and he couldn't understand how. He pulled himself together before grabbing the rail with his legs. He then stretched his hand out to take hold of it again. To his surprise, he could move it freely, even though just a while ago it was stuck. Getting a closer look at his hand, he realized what this was all about.

"I should've known there was something special about these gloves," Robin grumbled silently to himself. "Reaching the bank's roof would have been so much easier…"

From that moment on, he tried to use his gloves more and his muscles less. Robin soon appeared near a teller counter and he looked around to spot his next move. One of the tellers was busy with customers and several workers were walking in and out of the vault room to retrieve papers or anything they were asked to get. Robin also noticed quite a few cameras. Some were guarding the cash register, some were taking a better look at the counters, and he even noticed that some were guarding the door he needed to go through. He bit the inside of his cheek to concentrate, analyzing his surroundings and the cameras. They didn't move around, but were placed to guard one spot only. The camera to protect the door was in a rather steep corner though. It seemed to be shooting too low, only taking pictures up to the chest of everyone who walked in. Hadn't anyone bothered to lift the lens, even a little? But wait, that was it! The camera wouldn't be able to spot anything that went higher than the average man's chest height. If Robin stayed high enough, the camera wouldn't even chance a glimpse of him! Keeping his eye on the people going about below him, he searched for the perfect moment to move. He'd have to make sure the people in line for the cash register would be too occupied to notice him. He also had to make sure that no one was planning to walk through the door once he made his move. Robin could feel his fingers itch and, just for a moment, saw that all the cash registers were occupied and no one was walking around. He paid a fast glance at the customers and decided that this was as good a time as any.

Robin lifted the square and dropped down, making sure he put the panel back as he fell. Grabbing the top of the door frame, he swung through the door, lifting his feet to the ceiling. He pushed the panel upward to make his opening, released the door frame, and swung himself into the ceiling. Robin was grateful for his acrobatic background. He had been like Spiderman, without the spider senses or web strings. And it was all thanks to these amazing gloves! Before he took off, he closed the hole and breathed out a sigh of relief. He had been holding it that whole time without realizing it. After a few feet, he glanced in the room and noticed he was currently in the one where all the files and papers were kept, along with some vault doors that led to the more secured part of the bank, where only a select few could enter. Robin had no idea how he'd get past the iron door to the vault. He didn't have the time or tools to start cracking the security number and he knew that using any kind of explosive was out of the question.

Robin swallowed nervously. How in the sake of god could he pass this? He looked around in confusion, trying to search for any alternative route while searching his belt. Maybe a laser? Could he at least have a laser! Then he could cut his way through the wall. But there was nothing. All he had were small, pitiful bombs and hands that allowed him to grab things without much effort. Sighing, Robin played with the smoke bomb, trying to think. He absentmindedly fondled the small ball in between his fingers and then tossed it in the air to catch it, distracted with worry. Robin should already be in the vault. If Red X was already in, he would not forgive himself for a long time. He wanted to know what he had been talking about back at Wayne Enterprises. What had he meant about something being after Slade? The man was okay, right?

Robin lifted the ball to his lips as he leaned on his arm to rest his head, but he quickly pulled it away and sputtered on the square tiles. Hell that smoke bomb tasted _foul_! It tasted like ash, smoke, and soot, not to mention sulfur. Yuck, why would Slade make something like that? Robin examined the thing closer and noticed that the surface of the ball was slightly rough and he could feel the material that was on it. It was probably triggered to explode once it hit something. Robin had no idea how the small ball worked or what it was used for, but in his frustration he threw it into the trashcan in the room below.

"It'll work if it wants to. Besides, there's nothing else I can do," Robin snapped, staring at the ball he had thrown away.

Robin's eyes suddenly widened slightly. Okay, really? What dumb luck he had! Inside the trashcan with paper shreddings, the ball started shining an eerie, red and flickering light and then began to smoke too. Robin could smell it all the way from his hiding place. It stung his eyes and it smelled of real smoke. Even the trashcan smelled and glowed like it was on fire. The smoke traveled through the room, slowing inching its way to the ceiling. When it reached the sprinklers, it started shooting water. Robin could hear people running from the bank in a panic while the workers tried to put out the fire, which was turning into a full blaze. Thanks to the thick sheen of smoke, it looked very realistic. The workers, who had appeared in the doorway, made a full turn around and yelled for everyone to evacuate the building until the fire department got there. At that moment, Robin decided to jump down into the room, deeming it his one and only chance to get inside the vault unnoticed.

Robin ran to the vault door and grumbled as he noticed that he didn't have anything to help crack it. He didn't even have a stethoscope or any other equipment to help him hear the clicks over the yells of panicked customers and personnel who tried to flee the building. But Robin wasn't an idiot. Not by a long shot. He ripped the ear piece Slade made him wear at all times from his ear and stuck it on the vault door near the lock. To make it tap into the computer that was in the room, he reprogrammed it. The computer was once occupied by a teller woman who kept records of everything coming in or out. Robin sent the sound picked up by the earpiece to the speakers wired to the computer and then turned the volume to the max. It wasn't the best sound quality, but he couldn't be too picky. This was all he had. When it was all set, he placed his ear near the lock, hearing his own breathing from the speaker. The microscope was excellent, as was expected from Slade's equipment. He wasn't one to skim through the designing of his own tools. Robin then nervously started to turn the dial. He knew that he had a million and one possible passwords, but he couldn't give up. The steady sound of clicking was heard as the small wheels were turned.

Robin could feel the sweat rolling down the side of his face as he concentrated hard. He wiped it off so that it wouldn't irritate him. He missed the first click on his first try. When he restarted, he got a different sounding click. It sounded deeper, heavier, and echoed better. He then turned it the opposite direction, listening for a similar sound. Despite listening his damned hardest, it still took him a few tries to get the door open. He squeezed himself through the small opening, turned around, and carefully closed the door to the point where the lock didn't register and left him trapped. He quickly took off down the hall, getting nervous that he wouldn't make it in time. The moment he found the right vault, he almost swallowed his tongue. Red X was already inside, lowering himself steadily to the center of the vault. He was only in halfway, but he was close nonetheless. At that moment, Robin wished he could sever the wire of his grappling hook. He searched the room for cameras with haste. He saw that the door was guarded, along with every corner of the room. The camera on the door's opposite wall had to be the blind spot. There weren't any cameras looking its way and it only saw the close surroundings of itself.

"Whoever touches the camera first, wins!" Red X announced.

With a laugh, Red X lowered himself down more. Finally Robin couldn't stand it anymore. The room was steep. It was built to deny access in any way, except to take an elevator down and pass through the doors. X, though, seemed to know another way in. Robin was looking at him from the top of the room, through the reinforced window that showed what the vault held inside. There was a huge diamond that shined in the dim light. Robin gritted his teeth as he desperately thought of a way to get in without using the door. Deciding it had to be done, he grabbed a fistful of bombs and stuck them together in a small area. He quickly retreated from the glass as fast as he could. With a beep, the entire window exploded, leaving a bit of smoke. Robin ran over to see the damage. There was a small hole, just barely the size for him to fit through, but that would hardly stop him. He squeezed himself through, then grabbed the wall with his gloves, sticking in a crouching position. Robin saw how fast Red X was falling and realized he had no time to possibly climb to the camera fast enough. So, with all the strength he had left in his legs, he made a leap of faith. He was falling fast and at a very steep incline. He felt the air ruffle his hair and whip his face. Robin grit his teeth hard as his eyes began to tear up. Thank god the use of his mask didn't make them hurt too.

Red X saw Robin foolishly jump from the top of the room and catching up at a threatening pace. He sped up and jumped in longer, less steady steps to reach the destination before him, but Robin was faster. He extended his hand for the wall and grabbed it, hoping the impact wouldn't make him fall off. His side hit the concrete hard, almost flinging his body away from the wall completely. Thank god his gloves had a solid grip. After exhaling the breath he had just inhaled in the collision, he reached out to touch the camera at the exact moment as Red X. They both touched it at the exact same time. Being the only spot unguarded, they would remain forever without any proof to who was faster.

"It's a tie," Robin said, panting as he tried to sort out his breath.

"That means we'll both say what we know," Red X said. "I'll tell you a small part of my story and then it'll be your turn. As long as the other keeps talking, the other has to as well. Deal?"

Robin couldn't help but agree. He wanted to know. He _had_ to know.

"Deal."


	18. Chapter 18

**SladinForever: **I just wanna say I'm sorry for being a bad editor when it comes to getting my job done. I would give the job to someone else but I would worry they won't be as thorough as I am. I check for EVERY wrong sentence structure and wrong form of a pro-noun or verb. Kaz trusts me to do the job right, and I do. I just need to stop being a lazy fuck and get it done. Luckily, chapters 19 and 20 have been fully edited for months, so the next two chapters will be available a few days apart from each other after this one. Again, very sorry for not editing faster like I should

**Kazhiru:** Kudos to Sladinforever. I sure appreciate your beta work, and I know that you are the best beta out there : D I'm glad we got this story going once again. Sorry for the cliff hanger we left for you back then XD

* * *

"So, who's to begin?"

Both Red X and Robin paid a side glance at each other, merely waiting a full second before saying simultaneously, "You!" Since that didn't work, they both chanted, "Rock, paper, scissors!"

Robin chose rock. He knew that everyone's first pick would be scissors. God only knew why, but picking rock always beat Beast Boy.

"Paper beats rock! Now spill!" Red X laughed in mirth, even performing a small victory fist pump before paying full attention to him.

Robin swallowed nervously as he felt the butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't sure what he should tell Red X and he wasn't happy that he had to start.

"Well, basically we made a deal. If I can stay with him for one week, I'm free to leave."

Robin nodded his head at Red X to initiate that it was his turn.

"If you only tell me that much, then you're only going to get equal treatment," Red X said smugly, knowing the reaction this would cause in Robin. "There's an organization after Slade."

And there it was, the Robin growl. It always made X grin knowing he could annoy the Titan leader so easily.

"I was on a mission with the Titans, but the fever I had made me feeble and almost pass out. That's when Slade picked me up. He told me that he would make my friends or myself pay if I didn't agree to his terms," Robin elaborated.

The only response resembled a cocked eyebrow from Red X. "The organization is about to kill Slade so they can cause chaos between the people wanting to take over his position."

"Why?" Robin asked.

"Why indeed."

Robin frowned, realizing he'd have to play the game to gain the prize. "We made a deal that Slade would train me and make me go through missions with a preset deadline every day. If I broke any of his rules, I would get punished. If I complied, I'd get a prize. Slade doesn't seem to have much planned out because he hasn't tried to brainwash me yet. He seems to have gotten a more reasonable approach on trying to gain my trust."

Red X gave him a hopeful look. "Is he succeeding?" It was Robin's turn to lift his eyebrow. "Fine, fine, be a kill joy. You are turning out just like him." Red X grinned, getting a grimace from Robin at being compared to Slade. The thief waved his hand in the air as if to brush away the bad air. "This organization is set to destroy the super villains. Its true intent is to get to the top of the food chain without having to pass the heroes first."

This got Robin interested. How the hell could an organization manage that? What were they dealing with?

"Slade's goal isn't fully clear to me, but I bet he's trying to get me as his apprentice again. I won't attempt to escape, but will continue to comply with whatever he wants me to do for the next three days and then the deal wears off. The training has been, more or less, dealing with combat, gaining trust in commands, enhancing my reflexes, to rid me of my phobias, and some simulator training. I've been on two missions so far, one to retrieve the master security and, today, the artificial intelligence. Your turn."

"The organization doesn't believe there is anyone strong enough to defeat the heroes, so instead they decided to weed out the bad guys to cause havoc," Red X explained, finally sounding happy with what Robin had told him. "Once every super villain is out of the game, then every single little evildoer can step out of their hidey-holes to fight for the open slot. That would keep the heroes busy until the organization climbs to the top. They want to take over the system and control the world anyway they please."

Robin was astounded. How huge was the organization; who was in it; when did it take place; which villains were already down and out? He couldn't stop talking now. He had heard so much already, but learned so little.

"Slade and I have finally gotten past our hate for each other. We can actually work together now without starting a fight or trying to gouge each others' eyes out," Robin mentioned, getting a laugh out of his companion.

Red X seemed absolutely taken by the fact that two people, who never, in any circumstance, could work together, were actually doing exactly that. "You crack me up, you know that? Beware boy, or you shall be behind our lines before you can spell his full name." Robin tried to hide his surprise. Did X hint that he knew Slade's identity? "Anyway, my turn. The organization is well hidden. Took me a lucky shot to be at the right place at the right time. I don't know who's in it or how many exactly, but I know that they have men all over the world, and the plan is already in operation. Lex Luthor is down or at least locked up. Joker is temporarily unavailable and no one knows who's next." There was a long pause. "Alright, enough of this waltz. What have you been _doing_ down there all by yourself?"

Robin couldn't help but grimace at X's wink as he had asked his more-than-demanding-to-be-answered question. "I've already told you: training. A talk here and there. Slade just seems fixated on getting me to work alongside him. So far we've managed that to some extent. But, in the end, I'm as clueless as you are," Robin mumbled as Red X laughed.

"You really are clueless if you haven't caught on yet," he snickered.

"You seem like you know him well. How?"

Red X smiled at Robin's demanding look that was so eager for knowledge. "I just like to know things. And on the streets, rumors fly. Everyone knows Slade and everyone knows what his motives are. The man has made a deal with us lesser beings. For this week you are completely untouchable. No one is allowed to intervene. Even so much as looking at you would cause something to happen and I wanted to know why. I guess I know now." Red X grinned, promising trouble. Robin didn't even dare to imagine what kind of trouble, but he guessed it didn't matter right now. "Slade has his eyes on the prize and it seems he's finally ready to get what he wants. So you better stay put if I were you. Slade can get rather…_possessive_ with what he deems his…"

Red X trailed off and then started inspecting the camera.

"Wait, what do you mean? What is Slade up to? You know something, tell me!" Robin demanded.

Looking at him, X laughed straight in his face. "Sorry, no intervening, remember? I promised Slade myself that you would be left for him to…" Red pulled in a breath and carefully considered his words. "Take," he finally finished.

Red X quickly jabbed the camera, breaking it. Robin stared in puzzlement at what he had said and what he did. Was there a deeper meaning to his words? Why had he smashed the camera? Robin was about to ask this out loud, but was interrupted by the thief shooting out the rest of the cameras with his trademark X-shaped weapons. Robin tried to restrain him, but was too late as he already jumped down and reached for the diamond.

"Hey, leave that there! You have no right to take it!" Robin yelled, jumping after him.

Looking up at him with hands on hips, Red X smirked maliciously. "I have no right? This is my job, dear bird. Just as it's the guard's job to protect it, it's a thief's job to steal it. What would those poor guards do if guarding valuables was useless? Then they wouldn't have a job, that's what! We can't let that happen, can we? So, in a twisted sort of way, I'm making the world a better place by fighting against unemployment! Now, prepare for the alarm and I'll race you to Slade's base."

Right after he said this, Red snatched up the diamond and the alarm sounded. It rang loud and painful in their ears and Robin saw the annoying red lights announcing the emergency. They didn't stay and wait as they both ran as fast as their legs would allow. They decided to take the front doors, since the lobby was empty anyway. The smoke from before was still heavy in the air, so they got out undetected. Red X was humming "Who Let the Dogs Out" the whole way. When they made it outside, Robin looked at the giant town clock. It now read 2:20. The last time he saw it, it was fifteen minutes past noon. He swallowed worriedly because only ten minutes remained for him to get to Slade. Otherwise, he was done for. Robin sped up some more, suppressing Red X and his heavy load as he jumped from roof to roof in hopes of saving his hide from Slade's wrath. If Slade wasn't angry at him for meeting Red X, he sure would be if he noticed him late.

"Sorry, Red X, but I haven't got time for this! This mission's deadline is two and half hours, which is running short as we speak!" Robin yelled as the adrenaline from breaking in and out of the bank made him run faster than he had run in days.

With his load, Red X was getting farther and farther behind. He called off the race because of this and made his way back to wherever he lived. By the time Robin saw the front door of the hideout, his legs were tense and aching, but he didn't dare stop yet. Slade said the timer would go off once his weapons returned to their place. He ran through the halls and slammed the training room door open when he finally reached it. Gulping air into his stinging lungs, he slapped the storage door and watched it slide open. Inside, he saw the timer. He quickly entered and, in a hurry, tried getting his equipment back in their place. He only had less than a minute left to go. When he was finished, he looked back at the timer and noticed it was still counting down. Frowning, he thought maybe it was a malfunction, but then he remembered the gloves were still on his hands when he tapped the glass. Robin grumbled as he tore them off—with difficulty because of his sweating palms—and slammed them back into place. The timer stopped with just two seconds to spare. He let out a huge sigh of relief at his luck. As he sorted out his breathing, he wiped his hands on his legs to rid them of sweat.

"Well, that was a fairly tight call, Robin. What took you so long?" Slade asked from behind with a voice that taunted him.

By now Robin was starting to get used to Slade's silent but lingering presence, only making himself known when he opened his mouth. "I got a little preoccupied," he grumbled.

He sifted through his pockets for the artificial intelligence prototype. Once he finally found the chip, relieved that it was still intact and secure regardless of all that jumping and running around, Robin handed it over to Slade to take. Instead, he inspected it from his hand. His concentration was quickly broken by a beeping sound that came from a small device in his belt pocket. Slade pulled it out and paid a glance at it, before releasing a small laugh.

"Red X says hi. Care to elaborate?"

Robin looked at Slade with eyes that he hoped reflected innocence. "Erm…"

Robin was playing with time. So far, Slade didn't look angry, but he couldn't read him even if he tried. He might as well be hiding his rage so that he could start complaining. Robin wasn't sure if he should lie or just tell the truth about Red X. Slade would find out eventually and he knew that. Besides, why shouldn't he tell Slade? What X had said had just as much to do with Slade as it had with Robin. To be honest, this concerned Slade more than he could ever imagine. And, technically, he hadn't broken any rules.

"Yeah, I met him on the mission. He was at Wayne Enterprises, stealing all the goods," Robin explained.

He expected to hear Slade mock him for letting him be seen, but instead he said, "I know."

He knew? What? Robin was ready to state his confusion, but Slade pointed to somewhere behind him. Looking back, he saw what it was and turned silent. Slade was pointing at a monitor that currently showed his lair. Inside were two dots, one orange and one red, right next to each other.

"Oh…I already forgot about the damn chip…" Robin mumbled before he cussed about something that sounded like, "screw you and your dog tags, Slade".

"I was hoping you would tell me about it yourself and I'm glad to know that you didn't disappoint," Slade said as he ruffled his hair.

Robin felt shivers run all along his body, starting from his neck and ending at the tips of his toes. For once, this wasn't one of those annoying noogies that he had received in the past. This one was more like petting, except it wasn't.

"Yeah, well… Yeah. So, you know everything that's been going on?" Robin questioned, reluctantly pushing Slade's hand away. The feeling he got from the touch reminded him of his dream. A dream he didn't want to be reminded of, now that he was merely a foot away.

"I know that you visited the bank. I heard there was a diamond that had been stolen and I saw the two of you taking different routes to the vault," Slade said. "Then when you mingled in there for a while, I expected you to be talking to Red X. He's the one who stole the diamond I'm guessing. And I must ask, should I be concerned that the two of you were alone in there?"

Robin distinctively heard his tone change. It sounded more…jealous than concerned? Irked maybe? Slade couldn't _possibly_ be jealous of X. They'd only talked for about two hours, doing nothing else. Not that Slade knew that.

"We had a race." Robin was scratching his neck, but when he finally realized he wasn't in too big of trouble, he decided to explain the whole thing, even if he decided to leave out some stuff. "I told him about our deal and he told me about some organization wreaking havoc. Do you know about them? They're trying to become the dictators of the world by taking out the bad guys, trying to keep them busy."

Slade sighed. "I'm aware. You don't need to worry about that, I have it covered. This doesn't concern you anyway. Even though you're here, you are still a hero."

Robin snorted. "Yeah right. No, seriously, this shit is going to fall on me when all those freaks are trying to take your place. More importantly, I'm worried that…" Robin had to swallow his words. Was he just about to admit that he was concerned for Slade? Slade of all people? No, he wasn't. Robin tried to cover up his slip. "I mean, I just want to know that you are prepared, that's all."

Smooth move Boy Wonder, real smooth. Robin felt like hitting his head for his idiocy. What was it with him? The moment he was with Slade it seemed like the rational side of his brain stopped functioning.

"I'm flattered, but you don't need to worry. Nothing's going to happen. So this was what you were talking with Red X about?"

Robin could hear the relieved tone in Slade's voice. By now he was pretty sure he was just jealous of Red X and was relieved that they had only been talking about some organization rather than doing something else. Whatever that may be.

"I have one villain after me, I don't really need anymore than that," Robin mumbled.

Slade laughed for a moment. "You wish." When Robin didn't say anything, he took the artificial intelligence for safe keeping. "Well, it's only three, want anything to eat?"

"Okay." Slade turned and walked out of the room, Robin right behind him. "What are we having?"

"What would you like?"

Robin had to think about that one for a moment. "I could use some pizza. I haven't had a decent one in weeks." Slade just nodded. They were heading for the kitchen, but Robin was in the mood to eat outside. Being inside the base for so long was too much for now. Asking Slade for this request wouldn't be possible though. Unless of course, he _was_ jealous of Red X, then maybe… "You know, it was nice to meet Red X after such a long time. I know that he's an annoying thief, but it was nice to have some small talk with him. Also, I enjoyed the city," he said discreetly. Slade only grunted. "It was actually relaxing to just talk. I wouldn't mind meeting him again. I know that I can't talk with my friends and spend the evening outside with them, but I guess Red X can suffice."

Robin was a decent liar, but that didn't mean he wanted to do it very often. Slade, on the other hand, was getting the hint, but the jealousy was drowning out the voice of sense. He didn't like it when Robin chose to spend time with Red X rather than with him. Slade was stiff, restraining the urge to ball his hands into fists and narrow his eye.

"I just want to spend some time outside is all," Robin mumbled with a sigh. "I've been here for a while now and the only one I've seen and talked to is you. I'd just like to eat out where I can be around people." Robin was being oddly honest with him. Telling the truth did feel better than lying. He wanted to go out where it was sunny and where people were minding their own business. He didn't feel like talking with anyone in particular, he just wanted to blend in with the masses and feel like he was still part of society. It felt grim to be down here, he had yet to complain, but the isolation was getting to him.

"So all you want to do is go outside? You do realize what all that entails, don't you?" Slade growled more out of frustration than anything else.

"I do understand! I could escape, someone might notice me, my friends might be around, I could get in trouble, I could say the things I shouldn't, not to mention I'd have to find something to disguise myself. You can come along if you wish, but nonetheless I'd want to go out. We do have time to kill before the simulator exercise today anyways, don't we?" Robin rambled, getting a suspicious and questioning leer, but he only showed determinacy.

"Fine. But I'm not going to a pizza joint," Slade answered, tearing his look away.

Robin was cheering mentally as he took in his approval. To his pleasant surprise, Slade was willing to come along. For once, the boy kinda wanted him to. Otherwise, who knew if he could keep himself in line with no rules and with all the people around.

"What if we go to a fancy pizza place of your choice? Because I crave for some pizza," Robin bargained.

Slade sighed and mumbled, "Fine, but next time we are going for a steak."

"Sounds good," Robin said gladly, non-verbally pleading for him to hurry up.

Robin didn't get Slade to move any faster though as he ordered him to another room where he had clothing of Robin's size. They were the perfect disguise for moments like these. Robin wanted to question why Slade had clothes his size, but he didn't want to risk his chances. Slade went to work on his own clothes while Robin searched for a pair of sunglasses that were black enough to prevent anyone seeing his eyes. He didn't pay much mind to his clothes. He knew that the place Slade would pick would probably be fancier than the places he usually went, but it was a pizzeria, so he didn't feel too obliged to wear anything too fancy.

Robin returned in half an hour. In the end, he decided to wear nothing too special or anything that could draw attention to himself. He had brushed his hair down and off to the side without spiking it so people wouldn't recognize him from his hair only. He didn't want people to point fingers. He wore a pair of black sunglasses, some regular jeans, and a black, long and slim t-shirt to go with it. He also had a jacket. He knew that it wasn't cold outside, but he felt more comfortable with something that covered his arms now that he didn't have any gloves on. He always felt naked without them.

Slade came out soon after. The man had a black pair of straight pants on, a long collared brown sweater, and a jacket to match. He also wore a fedora that was tipped over his eyes and a nice scarf hid the lower part of his face. Robin was really unsatisfied with that, seeing as he couldn't see any of Slade's skin. Even if the hat or scarf was removed, his face would remain a complete mystery. Robin sighed with frustration.

"I already know a place. The owner is quite nice and knows to respect me," Slade said; the scarf didn't hinder his speech at all.

It was endearing how Slade managed to pull off a look of a fine man with a proud posture without showing off any of his face. The scarf didn't seem out-of-place at all and Robin had to admit that Slade looked rather good in a form-fitting sweater.

"So I take it you go there often?" he asked.

"No, very rarely. I only go when I need to visit the owner."

With that, they were both out of the house and Slade drove them over to a place that didn't look like much of anything from the outside, but really mastered that Italian restaurant feel on the inside. Robin took it in. It was colored with royal red walls and furnished with wooden ebony furniture. Robin listened as Slade talked with the cashier, and after they both had agreed, the man had showed them to a table. The restaurant wasn't a formal kind. There weren't any of those fancy waitresses or the formal feeling to it. For Robin, it felt comfortable. There was a man to take their order, but after he was off with it, they were left to themselves.

The restaurant was peaceful and full of people. People were chatting and talking with others and the clatter of silverware was heard as people ate. This wasn't like the places Bruce had taken him. Usually at the restaurants he had gone with his former mentor the mood was tense and people were dressed prim. This place, on the other hand, didn't give that formal feeling and people seemed to be here to enjoy good food and company. Something that Robin enjoyed pretty much himself.

"This is a nice place Slade. I see why you like it here," Robin said, feeling comfortable enough to relax in his seat without worrying about table manners or proper posture.

Robin also felt himself at ease enough to rid of the jacket. It was fairly warm, but Slade was still wearing both the sweater and jacket.

"Yes, it's peaceful."

While they waited for their food, the two had a pleasant conversation. Robin was glad that Slade had taken them outside, not expecting him to be so willing to take him anywhere at all. There were too many things that could go wrong today, but Robin didn't feel like making this any harder than it had to be. It was really relaxing to be here with the people. It made him feel less like a prisoner. He didn't know fully what was it that it made him feel like that, but he was sure that it must be good.

Robin was enjoying their conversation and the talk didn't die even after the pizzas arrived. He had ordered a Quattro pizza. Many people disliked mushrooms, but Robin rather enjoyed his pizza with mushrooms, shrimps, pineapple, and ham on it. Slade had ordered a pepperoni pizza. Once Robin had tasted the pizza, he understood why Slade was willing to pay the higher than average price. Robin would have to bring his friends to this place once this was all over.

Robin enjoyed the delicious pizza. He almost always ordered the same one because he knew which one was good. Plus, he didn't have to worry about waiting for lunch or dinner while the other Titans argued over what toppings to have on their pizzas. At least with Slade they didn't need to fight over it.

Though now, Robin felt like he should maybe try and taste out some other kinds of pizza than the one has been stuck with for the last couple of years. He didn't know if he dared to ask Slade to let him taste his though. Robin took one slice from his pizza and wondered if he could exchange it for a slice of the pepperoni. Robin wished that this time he would be more smooth than he was earlier that day.

"Want to taste mine?" Robin asked feigning nonchalant as he handed him the slice.

Slade looked questioningly at Robin before he accepted the offered food and, with a small thanks, he bit on it.

"It's delicious. Want to have some of mine?" Slade asked and Robin nodded with a smile.

Instead of just handing him a slice, Slade cut out a piece with his knife, picked it up with a fork, and then led the end to him. Robin tried to take it with his fingers, but Slade pulled it back with a smirk. Grinning mischievously from the hint, Robin grabbed it with the bottoms of his teeth and pulled it from the fork prongs. He chewed on the piece and enjoyed the salty and meaty flavor of the pepperoni. Maybe he should give pepperoni pizza another chance sometime.

"That is a good pizza," Robin said after he swallowed. He then licked his lips before he swiped them clean with his napkin.

"Thought as much," Slade said, returning to eating his own pizza.

Robin couldn't help but feel the burn on his cheeks for the sudden act of boldness, but as he saw his reflection from the knife, he was glad that it didn't show on his skin. He took a sip of his cola to cool him down anyways. They both ate with comfortable silence hanging in the air, neither of them feeling the need to say anything. Robin savored the taste he had been missing and managed to eat the whole thing before he laid down his silverware. Robin made a mental note to thank the chef. Slade had yet to finish his portion, so Robin had some time to just watch him. Slade had covered his face with a scarf and fedora, but he still seemed capable of eating it without hindrance in any way. He couldn't help but wonder why Slade hid his face, other than the obvious you-don't-need-to-know-my-identity part. He did only have one eye, so maybe his face was scarred. Not that Robin minded. He had a few scars of his own. After getting thrown against walls enough times, he was sure that the skin on his chest and back were probably rugged with scars. Not to mention the bullet scar near his heart, no thanks to the stupid Joker and his sudden liking to real guns.

"Why do you always mask your face?" Robin finally asked as Slade bit into the last piece of his pizza.

Robin could hear him stop chewing for a while as he lifted his head up. He could see a glint of light, but wasn't fortunate enough to see the eye itself. Slade then returned to his eating before he swallowed.

"I remember something along the lines of having already told you that I won't show you my face until I'm sure you are trustworthy," he said while leaning back in his chair. "Why should I remove my mask at all? After this week is over, you'd just go back to your friends and sing to them like the bird you are. So in the end, my reasons are the exact same as yours regarding those sunglasses."

Slade pointed his finger discreetly at Robin's glasses, but only for a second.

"You are right," Robin mumbled, instinctively pushing the sunglasses farther up his nose to make sure they were still in their proper place. "So what are we going to do now? Can we walk home?"

Robin liked walking after lunch because it was always good for him.

"What? No complaints about me not showing you the town?"

Robin grinned now that Slade's usual tease was back in his words. And no, Robin didn't want to go out. He disliked shopping and huge crowds and he'd be damned if he found himself sitting on a park bench with Slade while he twiddled his thumbs and wondered how in the hell they got there.

"Nothing to see here really. I just want to walk some," Robin said, standing to crack his back as he stretched.

Slade piled their plates in a small stack to ease the burden of the cleaners before he stood up too. Robin was slightly surprised that he held his jacket open for him. Smiling at him, Robin let him put his jacket on for him. It seemed even Slade could be a polite and pleasant man to be around. They both walked back to the cashier and Slade paid for them both. He also had a small chat with a customer that had just waltz in. It seemed like he had charisma, for he was now even shaking the man's hand. He seemed to be the friend Slade had mentioned before. Robin stood behind him without knowing what to do until he distracted himself by looking around the restaurant once again. He quickly took notice of the kitchen. There was an opening on the wall, like an open window, where you could see the chefs making their specials. Robin couldn't resist himself as he went to attract one of the cooks' attention.

"Thank you for the food, it was delicious," he said casually.

The man, who was about fifteen years older than Robin smiled and waved his hand through the air, like it was nothing. He leaned on the counter and winked. "I'm pleased to hear that. I would love to see your pretty face over here again sometime. Maybe I should make you something even better."

Robin laughed at the man and his carefree attitude. "I'll count on that."

Robin felt a sudden hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Slade, who started steering him to the door, where, Robin assumed, his friend was waiting for them, probably to tell them good-bye. He wasn't sure if he liked the man or not, but he thanked him for the food anyway. He nodded at him and accepted the praise with a smile.

"Always pleased to serve you. If it wasn't for you and your date right here, this place wouldn't be standing," he said with enthusiasm.

Robin was about to protest the "date" part, but he didn't have the time since Slade was already guiding them outside and the man was waving good-bye.

They hadn't yet even walked cross the street when Robin couldn't resist to ask, "What did he mean his place wouldn't be standing if it wasn't for you?"

Slade was silent for a while before he sighed. "That man was trapped with the wrong kind of people. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was part of a gang I had taken down and he was crestfallen for his idiocy. He had screwed up his chance to impress any possible boss willing to hire an ex-thug and was just going on and on about how he wanted to be a chef and not some stupid lowlife. I don't know what made me do it, but I left a stack of cash for him as a nest egg. He doesn't know about me being a villain though. I found him grieving and sitting in the gutter when I was on my walk later that evening."

Robin smiled. "Well, it's a good thing you did. Look at the guy; he's happy and the place is a blast!"

Robin watched Slade pull a device out of his pocket and then push some buttons. Seeing the interested look, he said, "I'm just calling a bot to retrieve my car."

He pocketed the device before they both started walking. Robin enjoyed the real breeze and smells of the city since he had been so used to the simulator's fake kind back at Slade's base. It was early evening and people were still on their way, not caring nor minding about anyone else as they headed home for their families. Some just seemed to be busy with shopping when the shops were still open, but it was nice to see some youngsters just lingering around, talking with their friends, goofing around and skating. There was also a middle-aged woman with her daughter who was asking for some ice cream from the ice cream cart on the other side of the street. It seemed that the city was feeling well and everything was normal. It was moments like these that made Robin feel proud of his heroic efforts.

"Thanks for letting me go out," he mumbled with a voice so low he was positive Slade hadn't heard him. The encouraging rub on his shoulder made him positive that he had.

Slade and Robin walked the beach line. Robin could see Titans Tower hovering above the surface of the water on the island it was built on. The sun was setting and even if it was still sunny, Robin could see the red twilight on the horizon.

Robin and Slade hadn't talked much on their walk home, but Robin didn't mind. He hadn't felt nervous in the least, and it was nice to know that the man was walking beside him, not a step behind, nor was he leading him. It made Robin realize how much freedom he got from the man. Slade let him walk beside him and let him go outside. Even if he could have one thousand and more ways to ruin the whole situation and possibly even escape, the thought never crossed his mind. To be honest, Robin hadn't been thinking about escaping in a while now. The thought was stressing and made him feel nervous. He didn't want to think about it and he didn't want to feel like he was betraying himself and his friends now that he had finally accepted the deal they had made. But still, the small voice in his head told him that he was already half way through, and he'd see his friends in no time.

"What's got you so silent?" Slade finally questioned as he broke the spell.

Robin looked at him, slightly annoyed with the sand flying up to hit him no thanks to the harsh wind. "I'm fine. I really liked today," he said, not knowing why he had, but not regretting it either.

"Just don't assume you're getting out of another simulator training. There's no bargaining that," Slade said with a slight mock in his voice.

Robin noticed that the sentence was merely a joke. He laughed at his attempts to be funny, even if he wasn't any good at coming up with funny things to say. It was then that Robin noticed that most of the time Slade only did this to strike up a conversation. Truth be told, the villain wasn't any good at this socializing thing.

"I would never skip the simulator. That thing keeps me sane down there," Robin joked back, zipping up his jacket. The wind had started to blow through his T-shirt, making him shiver.

"If you like the simulator so much, then I can prepare it the moment we get back. How does that sound?" Slade asked as they kept on walking.

His base wasn't far away anymore and one could see it if they knew what they were looking for. Slade had tried to keep it as inconspicuous as possible.

"Sounds like a good idea."

Robin had to think, working on something while he did. He did things better that way. He had been hoping that Slade had some kind of training course set for him because he had just recently found something to take into consideration. It wasn't bugging him too bad yet, but he wanted to know what the line he stood at was.

"I thought as much," Slade said, ruffling Robin's hair.

He slid his hand from his neck to the top of his head, making his hair stick out and return to something that resembled more of his usual hairstyle. Robin really did have something to mull over. He wasn't sure yet, but he just might, but only slightly, like Slade. He had to find out what his feelings were and what to do with them. For some reason, admitting to himself that he might actually care some for Slade made his stomach lurch before quickly settling back down.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **See earlier chapters

**SladinForever: **So you can expect it, there will be a new chapter next weekend. Also, eventually there will be gay sex in the story. Due to the site's sudden crackdown on adult sexual content, Kaz and I decided to stay safe by removing the sex from the upcoming chapters. There will be a note by me that shows where the sex was removed. Luckily, to avoid any inconvenience with this, the story will be posted in all its glory to adultfanfiction, Kazhiru's Livejournal and archive of our own, and you are welcome to ask for hers or my e-mail address—which we will then send the full chapter to you; just ask for it in a review or PM us— Again, very sorry for the inconvenience, but you will have other ways to view the good stuff still, so don't worry about that :)

**Kazhiru:** Don't worry, you will get your porn. And BTW, I GOT ACCEPTED TO THE COLLEGE! Engineering, here I come!

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As promised, Slade prepared the simulator for him. Robin had taken another cold shower for the day before he deemed himself ready to participate in the test. He was now standing in the simulator, waiting for the room to set itself. With the everyday use, he didn't find it as interesting as before. Now his mind was wrapped around the man operating the room right behind the glass that separated them from each other, rather than the cool system. Robin didn't know how he should act around him. He kind of wanted to say something, but on the other hand, he didn't know what he should say. It was hard to tell him anything without sounding stupid. Also, he kind of wanted some kind of attention, but he was too afraid to ask. So far, Slade had spared him some touches now and then, which Robin realized he didn't mind at all. Actually, he kind of liked them. They formed goosebumps on his skin and he felt the pleasant chill travel from the pit of his stomach to the top of his scalp.

Robin didn't dare go further. There weren't many who distracted him easily without the aid of some stupid powder or gas, like from Poison Ivy. Yet, he didn't want to admit any of these stupid feelings. His body may have been growing fond of Slade's attention, but he didn't want to get into anything when his mind wasn't in it too. What scared Robin more was the fact he didn't know if he was into him or not. With Starfire, he had been uncertain too. He didn't know if it was alright to do anything with her, nor if she wanted to. He wanted to deny his feelings because he was scared they'd get in the way. He was shy back then. He still was shy when it came to relationships; he didn't have the guts to make the first move.

What a man he was. He still hadn't mustered enough courage to do anything else but to lay a curious kiss to her lips. The feeling it left behind was like no other. It left his mind empty, his stomach infested with butterflies, and he would positively swoon. Her touches left his skin tingly and itchy. That's exactly how Slade's touches felt. Except, Slade's feelings gave him the chills that he could feel everywhere. Was that better or worse? At least with Starfire he could have accepted it. His friends would accept her, he could spend his life with her, he could walk hand-in-hand on the streets with her, and they could have a family. He didn't think that he would have any of those things with Slade. Not that he was sure if he wanted many of those things with him. It was all so confusing. Why couldn't he have those feelings with Starfire? Why did it have to be Slade that came into the picture?

This was all thanks to those stupid dreams. He wasn't even sure about what he wanted from the man. He didn't want to jump into anything for such a stupid reason as "it made him feel good". He wasn't so cheap. Or that's what he wanted to believe. If anything, he wanted something more than those damn touches that made him see perverted dreams that woke him up in the middle of the night and have to take yet another cold shower. If he just knew how he felt about Slade— Better yet, how did Slade feel about him?

"Robin, are you ready? You seem a bit reserved. I suggest you get it together now," Slade's voice advised over the microphone.

It was his voice that snapped Robin out of his musings. He noticed that the room had settled down a while ago and around him he could see a forest. The trees were tall and broad and as far as his eyes could see, there were rocky crops and cliffs. The spruces were everywhere, covering the sun and hindering his sight. The ground was covered by moss and hummocks. He hadn't even noticed when the temperature dropped by several degrees. The sky was getting darker and he soon felt another sharp drop in temperature. It even started to rain. It was pouring like no tomorrow. Robin swore when his hair got glued to his scalp. The wind was picking up and the trees were swaying in the wind. The cold air made Robin shake as the freeze even bit his bones. For the second time in a row, it was horrible weather inside the simulator.

"We'll take it easy and keep the mission simple. Defeat the monster and you are free to go."

The moment his voice died out, another, different voice was heard. It was loud and high and it made the hair on Robin's neck rise up as he jumped around just in time to see a blur of something that jumped fast beside him. He barely had time to turn around to see what charged past as something huge whacked against his chest, with a sound to match. He managed a glimpse of an appendage that had just mauled him, which resembled that of a thick rat tail. He had been sent flying backwards a few feet until he hit the ground, making the hummocks loosen and fly in the air. The ground below the moss was muddy and wet and Robin soon found himself in a swamp-like puddle, the water sploshing everywhere. He had to spit some of it from his mouth. What was that thing? The tail that just crashed into him felt like iron and moved like that of a speeding car. Robin had no time to wonder about that before he scrambled back up to stand.

And then he saw it. It looked like a canine-like animal, with no fur or feathers to cover its skin. Its body was slim, the skin was medium-gray, it had two slits for a nose, thin, red eyes, large claws on all four of its boney paws, and a thin, dinosaur-like tail. Its spine was sticking up along the full length of its back and it stood only a couple of feet from him. The thing opened its mouth to growl, revealing sharp, saber-like fangs and teeth, which were dripping with saliva. The rain made its skin gleam. To Robin it looked like a small wingless dragon. A small wingless dragon that intended to kill!

"Slade what the hell is that?" Robin yelled over the thing's growl that made his hair stick up in the most disturbing way.

"It's a cross between the extinct Thylacine and a snake. It's more canine than reptile, but it doesn't have any fur," Slade explained. "The tail can be used to wrap around a part of your body and crush the life from it, like snakes can, and contains poisonous barbs. It has a long forked tongue, like a snake's, and it is a deep purple color. Its brain is the size of a baseball. It is fast and cunning like a fox. It also weighs two hundred pounds. If you're not careful, a single swipe of its paw could tear into your flesh and kill you. Same with its teeth, so you're going to have to be extra cautious." Slade paused. "Think you can handle it?"

Could he handle it? No fucking way!

"Yes I can!" Robin yelled, in hopes that saying the words to himself might make him believe in them too.

The beast looked ferocious and it was just his luck: it probably had Nephropathia epidemica—a viral hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by the Puumala virus—or something… Robin swallowed the nervousness down. He had fought against more than enough weirder-than-the-other monsters before, all after his hide, and yet here he was, intact and ready to keep it that way. Even Beast Boy could turn into plenty of nasty animals, yet he had no problems with that. So maybe Robin had no problem with defeating this thing too. It may be angry and ferocious, but that wouldn't stop him from bringing it down. Maybe this wasn't as bad as it looked and sounded.

"Bring it!"

Robin prepared himself. He kicked some of the hummocks out of the ground from under him so he wouldn't slip on them. Slade, on the other side of the glass, reached for a button. When pressed, it released a high pitched noise that made the beast howl; a dog whistle. The hybrid charged, growling and ready to tear him apart. Robin dug into his belt for any kind of weaponry the room might have provided him. He kind of expected a bo staff or maybe a whip to show the irony in "taming the beast", but he had no such luck. It wasn't any of those, but a gun. Better yet, two guns. That thing wasn't even an animal, so he was glad that he didn't feel much pity or compassion for it. It didn't look like anything that existed, but more like some sick creation made by the simulator. This simulator looked more and more like a game with obscure enemies that you could just shoot at a bundle of pixels rather than a manhunt he had gone through before.

Robin pulled out the guns from their holsters and aimed at the beast's chest, trying to at least slow it down and see how easily it could be harmed. He jumped back with his arms outstretched, aiming at it. He heard the bangs as the bullets soared through the air and saw green blood splatter from the thing's legs. It managed to evade the bullets' original target—the chest. What was worse that it didn't seem to mind getting hurt! It kept coming at him with anger that was only boosted by the petty shots. The hybrid landed its paws to Robin's chest, who didn't have time to evade the incoming attack. It knocked him to the ground, squeezing his chest. The hummocks smelled moist and earthy and the water seeped through the back of his clothes and the cold water was at least as unwelcome as the monster was. The hybrid growled and leaned over Robin's body. He could feel its rotten breath against his face as it lunged to bite his face off. Robin forced his body off the ground and then swung his arms with all his might to hit it in the head. The blow was strong enough to make them both swing sideways and the hybrid made a faint whine. Robin could feel its teeth against his arm as he had falsely aimed the hit to its muzzle. He was lucky it hadn't closed its jaws around his arm. The hybrid hit the ground, its head hitting a rock and causing a painful crack to echo through the air. Robin saw that its mouth was smeared with blood. His best guess was that it had hit its jaw against the rock, breaking or at least cracking some of its sharp teeth. Robin didn't have much time to dwell on it as it flipped onto its stomach. He scrambled to his knees and prepared his guns to fire full rounds at the hybrid's chest. He lifted the guns and fired, but the hybrid managed to get back on his paws and bolt away. It then growled at him angrily.

Standing up, Robin aimed the guns yet again. The hybrid started moving to the left, forcing him to circle along with it. He carefully watched as it decided on an attack. Robin was prepared this time. He still had Slade's lessons from that morning fresh in his mind and he planned to use them to his advantage. He feinted to the left, enticing the hybrid to evade to the right and charge again. It moved with fierce swiftness, making it almost impossible to see. When it pounced, Robin jumped out-of-the-way, rolling on the ground and causing the hummocks to fly. The hybrid landed where he had been and then quickly turned in his direction. Robin got back to his feet and fired at it with his gun a third time. The hybrid ducked down, the bullet almost grazing a vertebrate or two. Growling, it started to charge. Robin took a few hasty steps back as it zigzagged, trying to confuse him. He shot at what he hoped was a body part, but the bullets only landed in the mud. Robin was amazed at the swiftness of this strange creature. His self-confidence was fading as the monster wasn't showing any kind of giving up or showing signs of pain from the cuts and bullet holes in its legs and torso. Robin questioned his chances of winning this fight, but quickly shook his head. This was no time for thoughts like that. If he wanted to win, he'd have to fight for it. He wouldn't give up.

The hybrid charged head on at Robin. He replaced the guns back to their holsters as he bent his knees and steadied himself as best he could in the on-growing mud. The hybrid tried to ram its head into him, but he grabbed its broad shoulders and tried to stop it. He slid back thanks to the hummocks that didn't work as any kind of ground, but thanks to the mud underneath, he finally managed to stop its charge before he fell. The hybrid growled as it tried to push him over. Robin continued to push back, trying to make it stumble or slip, or at least manage to push it off his face.

With a feral yell, Robin jerked his body to the side, toppling the hybrid over. With a snarl, they both fell with a splash, causing the mud to splash around them. Robin let go of the dangerous thing and then scrambled away, feeling the rain and mud sliding off his body and suit. Growling low, the hybrid slowly got to its paws, slipping slightly on the wet and slippery ground. It turned to Robin and growled, baring its fangs. It flexed its paws and pressed them against the ground before it charged. When it was a foot and a half away, Robin pivoted so that he was behind it. He quickly jumped onto its back, trying to force it to the ground. Surprisingly, it managed to keep its balance despite the added heavy weight. The hybrid started to run around mindlessly, trying to force him off. Robin held tight and managed to hold on, even as it bucked its back. It was as if he was in a rodeo.

Suddenly, the hybrid ducked its head and lifted its back paws of the ground. Eyes widening, Robin felt his stomach flip as the hybrid flipped over. It forced him into the mud, crushing him between the ground and its back with its two hundred pounds. It then rolled off, getting back onto its paws. Robin slowly tried to pull himself up as his skin and clothes were covered in mud and water. He shakily got to his feet when the hybrid pounced, aiming to the right. With its claws, it hit Robin's side. He was too taken by the last blow to move away in time. It forced him to spin around and fall back to the ground. The hybrid landed with a splash near him, standing up proudly. Mud landed on Robin's face as he lay on the ground, winded. Blood dripped from the side of his stomach and he saw it mix with the mud and water. The rain hit his wounds and made them sting. Robin covered the hurt area with his hand as he slowly sat up, wiping the watery mud off his face with his equally muddy hand. The hybrid now faced him, growling low. Robin was nervous because the hybrid had yet to charge again. He was thankful for the moment where he could prepare for the incoming attack and catch his breath.

When the small ache in his head passed, Robin slowly got to his feet. It continued to rain heavily, making it hard to see as his hair lay over his eyes. He shook his head to get rid of some of the water and to get the hair off his face. He lowered his hand from his side and eyed the creature, trying to figure out what it would do next. When he blinked, the hybrid was suddenly gone. Robin's eyes widened in surprise. Where did it disappear to?

A heavy weight suddenly forced itself onto his back. Robin fell from the force of the blow, his face landing in the mud. A paw pushed his head further in as the hybrid jumped off. Quickly lifting his head, Robin gasped for air, almost swallowing a lot of mud. His eyes stung and felt clumped with mud and he got small scrapes all around his face as the small pebbles grated against his skin. He spit whatever liquid had gotten in his mouth out while he coughed and gasped. The hybrid didn't give him much time to recover as it turned and pounced. Robin was forced onto his back as he stood up on his knees. He lifted his arm, forcing it against the creature's open jaws that were dripping blood, trying to prevent it from biting down. It didn't do much though as it sunk its canines in his arm, making the blood flow from the wounds. The hybrid clawed and snarled at him as it tried to get closer to its foe, but Robin prevented it. He grabbed its lower jaw, forced the jaws apart, and winced when the fangs released their hold. He tried to keep its mouth open, but it was hard. Once he realized that it wouldn't open any wider, he tried to force his hand sideways in its mouth so he could make sure that it couldn't close it. With his free hand, Robin took hold of one of the long canines and twisted it. The tooth was already loose thanks to the blow it had endured when Robin had swung it against a rock. Once he heard a loud crack and the hybrid howled in pain, he realized that he had actually managed to tear the canine straight out. Blood splattered Robin's face from its gums, its fang dripping blood in his hand. He didn't hesitate as he acted on instinct. To try saving his life, he raised the fang in the air with the tip facing down and brought it down at the hybrid's face.

The hybrid screamed, or more like howled animalistically, as the fang protruded from its eye socket. Robin released his hold on it, seeing as he couldn't stand the sight. The creature stepped back, crying out in pain. Lifting its paw, it tried hitting the fang out, resulting in tearing the wound even more and Robin hearing it howl in pain. Blood dripped heavily from the side of its face and from its open mouth. Robin slowly got up in a crouch and stared at it, panting. Rain fell heavily down his face and entered his mouth. The hybrid stumbled and fell, crashing into the mud. The fang popped out of its socket, taking its eye out along with it. Robin felt sick to his stomach when he saw the damage he had caused. He saw the guts hanging along the side of the hybrid's head. The sight was so disgusting it almost made him want to vomit. The hybrid tried to get to its paws, growling and whimpering in pain. Closing its eyelids, it turned its solitary gaze at him. It pierced into Robin, making him freeze. He knew it wasn't real, but he still felt bad for it. He was an animal lover at heart after all. He almost wanted to take it out of its misery.

With shaky hands, Robin reached for one of his guns. With both hands, he held it in front of him, aiming it at the beast. He swallowed nervously as he tried to gather up as much strength as he could to mentally prepare himself for taking it out of its misery. As he started to pull the trigger, the creature jumped, resulting in Robin missing a shot. The thing was still alive and kicking, but barely. It lunged with what little strength it had left. But, as Robin would come to realize, the act was only a bluff. The beast hit him straight on, forcing him off his feet and straight into the air. To his surprise, he landed right on its back. Robin accidentally lost hold of his gun, which was now somewhere on the ground, hidden under a mattress of hummocks. The hybrid was jumping and growling and running in the forest as fast as it could, hitting its sides against the trees to get rid of the pest on its back. Robin had as firm of a hold on it as he could, but his hands kept slipping from the skin.

Robin had gotten tired of this game; tired of getting thrown around and getting thrashed against the ground and tired of getting torn and bitten. Also, the monster's foul play was getting on his nerves. This simulator was at its end in his opinion. He searched around for his other gun still in its holster. Even though he was almost thrown off the beast's back twice, he managed to take it out. Taking a firm hold of its almost torn ear, grabbing more of its skin than anything, Robin pushed the cold steel of the gunpoint against the base of its neck, aiming to blow its skull and brains out.

"Bye-bye doggy," he mumbled in annoyance. And then he shot it.

The hybrid made a faint whine as the front of its torso went slack. Robin gasped as its lifeless body violently collapsed to the ground. He was flung over its head to land face first, his face and chest getting scratched up as he skid forward. He felt a painful crack as his back was bent in a position it normally shouldn't be in. When he stopped, his legs fell, the rest of his body crashing loudly into the ground. After a few seconds, the room returned to normal. Robin started to feel faint, probably from blood loss. It wasn't until the room had stopped moving that the door to the control room opened and Slade ran inside. He gathered Robin up and took him out of the simulator.

Robin grit his teeth as the wound on his side stung. To be honest, everything and everywhere in his body stung. But the moment he was out of the room, his side healed, his head stopped pounding, and the taste of blood in his mouth dulled out. It was only the pain in his back that was left. For once, Robin wasn't more thankful of being carried bridal style in the hands of his enemy than he was now. Slade carried him like he was one of his vulnerable but valued possessions. Robin was just glad that he didn't have to walk himself. He laid lax in Slade's arms, not daring to bend his back because he was afraid it would snap. Though he may have been tired and hurting, he managed to snake his arms around his torso, burying his face into his chest as he awkwardly hugged him. He mumbled a weak thanks as he was taken back to the bedroom, to make sure all of his vertebra were in place. They didn't even reach the room before Robin was too tired to keep his eyes open. He could feel Slade's hands carefully traveling along his back, checking the bones one-by-one, pushing them in place if necessary. The touch was gentle yet hurried and it made chills travel along his spine. Robin would have wanted to be awake for this treatment, but he couldn't hold on long enough for Slade to get even half of his back done before he fainted into a tired and restless slumber.

When Robin came to, he felt tired. He wasn't tired in the sense of wanting to get back to sleep, but more in the way of "my muscles ache, can I rest?". His back was aching, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been before. He groaned as he rolled onto his back to get Slade's attention. It didn't take him long to be at his side.

"Well good evening to you too. You went to sleep an hour ago," Slade explained, resting a hand on his forehead.

Robin doubted he had a fever, but if it made Slade feel at ease, then he could feel his temperature as much as he pleased.

"I'm okay," Robin mumbled while trying to push himself up to sit.

"That was quite an arch you did back there. You should consider being a tumbler," Slade said as Robin couldn't resist the urge to crack his back.

"Sorry, they had a hero position open, so I decided to recruit," he said.

Slade laughed with a restrained voice. "I'm glad you didn't. I don't tend to wander random circuses too often."

Slade quickly prepared for deep waters, but Robin didn't seem to catch the meaning as he continued the joke. "Well you should. Who knows what you'll find there."

Robin pushed himself backwards to lean on the wall so he could sit more comfortably.

"Who knows _who_ I'll find, is what you mean?" Slade asked.

Robin made himself comfortable on the bed. "Nah, I bet you'd find whatever it is you are looking for without really looking for it."

Robin was starting to get drowsy again.

"I suppose," Slade mumbled before going to his work table to retrieve a glass. It didn't take long to fetch it and he was soon back by the side of the bed. To Robin, the glass was suspicious. It may have seemed like it was full of water, but it seemed to be rippling, as if someone had added invisible oil to the glass to mix it in. Slade filled the silence by telling Robin what he was looking at. "I had to give you some sedatives. Could you drink this before you fall asleep again? This may make you a little loose and lightheaded, but it will kill the side effects of the simulator in no time."

Slade handed the glass over to let him hold it. Robin didn't drink it yet, because he asked, "What side effects?"

Slade sat back. "It's a mixture of several factors really. One being the fear gas, another being the fact it alters your mind for the amount of time you are in the room, and how you mix reality with imagination. You have been using the room for four days straight. The more you use it, the more adapt your body gets. But right now, your body is hoarding the chemicals the room emits in itself. There are still faint remnants of gas in your body, which are trying to hold onto the fantasy you have created. In other words, your back is okay, you are completely rested and fine, but your mind wants to hold onto the feeling that you just fought a monster and are still recovering. This drink should stabilize the effects and remove the foul substances from your system."

Robin had solely been watching Slade's hands the whole time as they emphasized what he had been saying. "How long have I been like this then? How long has the stuff effected me?"

Slade sounded more gleeful that relieved as he said, "Since you left the simulator an hour ago. Don't worry, you haven't been acting strange from any of the chemicals in your blood stream. Now drink up." Slade took a hold of Robin's hand to guide the glass to his lips so he would drink it. He didn't put up any kind of fight and drank the whole glass. Once it was emptied to the last drop, Slade took it from him, taking it back to his desk on the other side of the room. He then returned to Robin. "Soon you'll notice that the pain is fading away, you'll feel less tired, and you'll feel better. Your kidneys have been working hard to extract the toxins. They may need some rest too. The antidote will kick in in less than half an hour and you should be fine in no time."

Robin didn't notice any immediate change other than the foul taste of the drink. He frowned. "Has this ever happened to you?"

He didn't even know there were such side effects to the simulator, nor that he would have to start drinking an antidote for it. How long did he have to drink it anyway?

"No, it hasn't happened to me before. My body doesn't gather toxins like yours do."

"How come?"

"Because its trained not to. You and I are the only ones who have used the simulator, so the antidote is a first time experience for anyone," Slade explained.

Robin nodded. He didn't feel like questioning his answer but he was still curious. "If I was the first, how did you get the antidote ready so fast?"

Slade was seemingly getting more relaxed about the situation and he even went to retrieve his work chair to set next to the bed, so he could sit on something with a backrest. "You remember that chip I injected you with? It monitors your blood levels. Once I noticed the unbalance piling up, I studied it, got some men working on it, and even myself when you were off on missions."

Robin was nodding at his explanation. That stupid dog tag was keeping track of everything. Even if he preferred to being healthy, he didn't want Slade knowing just about everything his body did. Robin sighed since he didn't want to cause a scene about it. He was too tired to start worrying.

"When do I have to drink this?"

Even if he didn't notice it himself, Slade heard a whine in his voice. "I guess that this will be enough for now. If there are changes in your condition, we'll continue with the antidote." Robin nodded once again, glad that he wouldn't have to become dependent on the stuff. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a while before Slade broke it. "Do you want something to eat?"

Don't mind if he did. The pizza had been really good and filling, but Robin wanted something to nibble on. "Maybe an apple?"

Slade nodded and went to retrieve said fruit. Robin watched him leave the room. The moment the door closed behind him, he stood from the bed for a quick trip to the bathroom. As he relieved his bladder, he took a look of himself in the mirror. He was looking the way he should: hair back as it used to be, mask still on, skin the usual healthy color. It was confusing to see himself in the mirror, looking perfectly fine when he felt weak. But still, Slade was right. The antidote effects were fast enough and Robin could feel just how less tired he was. Actually, he was getting rather perky.

"Robin? Where did you go?"

Robin could hear Slade's voice from the other side of the door. Was he fast or had Robin lost himself while staring at his own reflection? He quickly shook his head three times before he zipped up and flushed before quickly washing his hands. Robin walked to the bedroom quickly after noticing Slade at the doorway.

"Yeah I'm here. I had to…you know?" he briefly explained as he went back to sit on the bed.

"I was getting worried that you had escaped on me," Slade mumbled before handing Robin the apple.

Robin was too petrified to move. Was his bladder more than urgent for the need to escape? So it seemed. Robin took an angry bite of the apple. He had three more days with Slade. He could stay put and then walk off once the deal was over. As he said this, he heard the small voice at the back of his mind, telling him that what he had just said was only an excuse to stay and enjoy Slade's company.

"Why would I escape?" Robin finally murmured.

Slade was taken aback. "Why haven't you, indeed," he mumbled back.

If only Robin could know the answer to that himself. With a shrug, he answered, "I guess it could be worse."

Slade understood what he meant. He understood that Robin was finally falling for it, and he was glad. It seemed that the week hadn't gone to waste after all. His plot was working. Slade uttered a laugh smugly before laying his hand over Robin's masked eyes. The frown on his face was full of confusion and wonder. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel and hear the ruffle of clothes and bedsheets as Slade leaned over him. Robin could see it with the eye of his mind. He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall, and Slade was leaning over him with his knee resting on the edge. Then he felt something warm, slightly chapped, touch his forehead. Slade had kissed him on the forehead? What? Slade removed his mask? When?

Robin was about to pull back, but Slade had already retreated to where he had been sitting a while ago. The moment his hand was away from Robin's face, he saw Slade holding his mask inches from his chin. The look in his eye was positively daring.

"Am I making it worse yet?"

Robin was baffled at what had just happened, but he was more vexed at not being able to see under the man's mask than anything. He would never get a look at what was under it!

"Hardly," he finally mumbled, trying to lift himself up to sit up more properly. He didn't want to slump, he wanted to look broad.

"Good." Slade gently slid a finger along Robin's face and cheek. It wasn't the touch that got him all bothered, but the look in his eye. Slade was daring him and the imaginative ball was once again back in his court. "I'll fetch us something to drink."

As Slade left, Robin was already missing the touch the second the contact broke. He was also confused. He hadn't minded the kiss at all. To be completely honest, he had wanted it and he had liked it. The act was enough to leave Robin petrified on the spot. If he made a move now, it would mean that he was willingly giving himself up. He couldn't blame anyone else except for himself for anything that happened after this point if he were to toss the ball back into the game.

Robin wiped his forehead with his fist. The move wasn't to swipe off the fact that the kiss had happened, nor to get rid of whatever germs there were left behind, but more like to press it in and make him relive the moment. Damn Slade for making him weigh his options. He knew that he couldn't just decide between the way his body craved for it, but the way his mind screamed for it to be wrong. Slade knew he craved for more, but he also knew that if he was the one to decide how to proceed, there would be no escape. If Robin said yes now, he couldn't say it never happened or that he never wanted it. What was worse, trying to explain it to the others wouldn't be in his favor. His friends wouldn't accept his decision. They couldn't even blame Slade for using or tricking him, so he was on his own. And it was all his fault.

Damn that Slade…

* * *

**SladinForever:** Hiya! In case Kaz forgot, I wanted to let you know the creature in this chapter was something I came up with and I wrote a bit of the interesting fight between Robin and it. Kaz did the rest though and made great changes to what I had already started. I even learned about the disease mentioned thanks to her—had to look the information up. I learned something new :D Anyway, chapter 20 is gonna rock your socks, so stay tuned!


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters

**Sladinforever: **Well, it seems SOMEONE doesn't like our decision on leaving the sex out of the story. Well sorry, whoever you are, its not your damn decision is it? Kaz does NOT want to be banned. Just because YOU haven't seen these type of stories deleted, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. It's your loss not ours that you can't take 3-5 seconds to bookmark another site that will have the same exact chapter with the full sex added in. If you don't want to do that, then fine, it's no water off our backs. We don't want your shitty attitude around here anyway  
For everyone else who is not against our smart and cautious decision, we appreciate you staying around despite this slightly annoying inconvenience. We're not very happy about 's anti-adult content rule either, but we're going to abide by it, whether we like it or not

**Kazhiru:** I'm sorry to say but I'm with Sladin on this one. I seriously don't give a shit about you ‟not wanting to go on another site for sex‟ If you don't care, I have news for you: neither do I. I wrote this story for my own goddamn amusement, not for YOU. If you are not happy with the decision I made, then sorry, you can go read those other stories by other people, because seriously, not a single fuck was given.

Seriously: I wrote this because I enjoyed writing this. I did NOT write this to be a comment whore and listen to your every whim. Deal with it.

* * *

Robin sat where he had been sitting when Slade left. He seemed to be deep in thought when he returned with two cups of steaming hot cocoa in each hand. The drinks had only been an excuse to leave Robin alone in order for him to think. Slade wanted him to come to him willingly, because then he knew he'd be covered, in case he suddenly started screaming rape at him later. And seeing as Robin was now so deeply in thought, Slade had been able to get the exact end result he had been hoping to get. He had been winning Robin over for the last week. He had to admit that he had all the aces and Robin was losing the game, slowly but surely. Soon he would consider the boy his.

"I brought hot chocolate," Slade announced as he sat next to Robin, who had only noticed him enter when he spoke up.

"Thanks."

Robin took the cocoa and stared into the mug. The brown liquid in it was hot and steaming slightly. He took a careful sip from it while hoping that he wouldn't burn his lips or the inside of his mouth. Robin truly had been deep in thought. He still couldn't decide if he wanted it or not. But by every passing minute, he was getting more and more curious to see what it entailed. Robin wanted to try, but he wasn't sure if he should give up yet. He wanted it, but yet he wasn't sure. A completely common feeling nowadays.

Robin took a gulp of his drink to drown his thoughts. He noticed that even Slade was drinking from his cup, but his face was turned away so he could drink in peace. The villain intrigued Robin. He wanted to explore him and he wanted to know him. And with these thoughts, it was harder and harder to fight against him. Maybe he should try? Try to worm his way out of having to make the decision? Maybe there was a way.

Slade turned around again, placing his half-empty cup on the night table. Robin took a long gulp of his own drink before placing it there too.

"So now that I completed today's mission on time, does it mean that I get a wish again?" Robin asked.

Robin had almost forgotten about the deal and the word 'wish' was alien to his mouth and ears. According to Slade's look, he had forgotten as well.

"You mean the wish to take you out to lunch wasn't what you asked for?"

Slade sounded confused. He might have thought of it as one back then too.

"Not that I didn't like it, I just never said that it was my wish," Robin said, betting that Slade was arching his eyebrow at this.

"So what is it you want? Don't ask for anything too much though. You did get to go out after all, and it's late in the evening."

Slade crossed his arms over his chest. Trust Robin to use his freedoms to his advantage…

"It's nothing huge. I hope." Robin mumbled the last part to himself. This was not the time to back out now. If he ever wanted to know where he stood in this, it would be now or never. He had fought a hybrid that was ready to tear him to shreds, surely this was not worse? "I just wanted to ask for…another kiss? Maybe. Just so I know where we stand, you know?"

Slade was positively surprised. He had expected some reaction out of him, but not this soon. He was also quite surprised that Robin had managed to turn the tables around. This wouldn't count as any kind of motion to give up, not just yet at least. Not that it mattered. Slade was still winning no matter how this turned out.

"Consider it granted. Forehead?" Slade teased, not wanting to sound too eager.

Robin may not have been too shy about the situation, but he still seemed slightly unsure. Now that Slade looked at him again, he seemed to brace himself. Maybe he was warming up to him faster than he thought. It all seemed to work in his favor.

"No, a real kiss this time," Robin claimed boldly.

If Robin's eyes weren't covered by Slade's hand once again, he would have noticed him grinning. Slade lifted his mask so that it was resting on the top of his head, to avoid it getting in the way. With his right hand, he grabbed his chin and lifted it slightly. Robin was breathing heavily and he seemed tense. It might not have been his first kiss, but the anticipation made it just as bad.

Leaning over him, Slade drew him into a kiss. Robin felt the shivers travel down and back up his spine the moment those chapped lips were on his own. He could smell Slade's shave lotion ten times stronger than he ever had before. The smell of him was strong and was filling Robin's nose. The only thing that kept him in the moment were the lips pressing against his own. Slade was dominating him, making Robin too taken aback to question it. Slade had him in complete control. Once he had kissed him, while trying to devour the smaller lips, Robin couldn't hold himself back any longer. He tried to challenge Slade's kiss, but it was clear to them both that he was outclassed here. Slade could trap Robin's mouth and suck on them, leaving him to come along.

Robin didn't know what he should do with his hands exactly, but seeing as Slade was leaning over him, he placed them on his shoulders and took a firm grip on him. Slade turned his head to the left to deepen the kiss. His hand released Robin's jaw, knowing that he had no intention to pull pack. Slade slid his right hand over Robin's throat to his right shoulder, before laying it on his chest where he absentmindedly rubbed his nipple with the palm of his hand. This only caused Robin to sigh into the kiss and lift his knees to cover himself out of instinct. Slade smiled into it. He would make sure that this kiss would be imprinted on the boy's memory. Eventually he wouldn't be able to think about anything else and would come back, begging for more.

Now that Slade finally got a kiss out of him, he didn't plan on going easy on him. Slade licked Robin's lower lip, making him try to do the same. But when he opened his mouth, Slade invaded it with his tongue. Robin was surprised by the sudden intrusion. Kissing Starfire had been innocent and nothing like this, but now that he had a taste of this, he was too surprised to even remember her name. Slade explored the cavern. Robin tasted like the hot chocolate he had drank and what seemed to be a mix of something fruity and Robin himself. But the taste of ginger was what won Slade over. Robin couldn't help put moan into the kiss as his tongue worked itself around his own and when his hand wrapped around his waist. He felt Slade explore his mouth, tracing his teeth and molars while making his gums tingle. He couldn't have enough of him and he wanted to taste him too. Slade tasted like something spicy, yet there was a distinct taste of something fleshy. Robin closed his lips around his tongue and swallowed. He didn't want to start drooling over him.

Once Slade pulled his tongue back to his mouth, he traced Robin's lips again. He couldn't help but gasp in a mouthful of air. He was getting out of breath and was now panting with his mouth wide open. He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, even though he couldn't see a thing thanks to Slade's hand blocking the view. Robin got a couple of good lungfuls of air before Slade devoured his lips again. He traced his hands along Slade's chest to slide them around him, clawing at his back in his distracted state. Slade didn't mind at all since his own hand was already wandering to his pelvis and itching to go lower. This wasn't left unnoticed as Robin's senses went haywire. The touches were making him want to arch up from the bed to get some more friction. Robin was almost panting for the kiss when Slade lifted himself onto the bed to reach him better. Robin clawed his back slightly now that he was easier to reach. Slade could feel the touches, but thanks to the suit he wore, it was more like a massage for his back. Robin managed to hiss from within the kiss.

"Slade…"

Slade kissed his lips for a long time before biting into his lower lip softly. Robin couldn't help but sigh and pant as his mouth wasn't so reserved anymore. Slade licked the lip whence he had bitten and, as Robin brushed his fingers against his neck, started to trace his lips against his throat. He laid small kisses on the side and corner of Robin's lips and on his cheek and throat before dragging his tongue against his neck. Robin whined as Slade started to suck on it. When he pushed his knee to his thigh, Robin moaned loudly. He was groaning slightly as Slade slowly trailed his fingers lower to his crotch before he stopped it with his hand. He was panting loudly with his mouth open as he held Slade's hand only inches from his more private area. Slade stopped what he was doing to look at him. He was slightly out of breath himself, but not nearly as bad as Robin, who was panting under him.

"O-Only kissing," Robin managed to wheeze before he had to lean back on the bed. Resting against the wall had been a good idea a while ago, but now he wanted to lie down. Slade had removed his hand from his crotch and even pulled his knee away from the area to let him breath with ease. Robin was glad that Slade respected his decision to not continue any further. He was in full euphoria and bliss, which had only been caused by a kiss. He wasn't ready for more. No, not yet. Slade placed his mask back on before removing his hand from Robin's eyes. He could have sworn that he blinked his eyes in disbelief while he got his sight back once again. "I…I need to take a shower."

Robin wormed himself out from beneath Slade and quickly sneaked himself to the bathroom. Slade only laughed at this as he rolled onto his back on his side of the bed. He stared after Robin, who was trying to hide the more than obvious dent in his pants as he retreated to take the more than likely cold shower. It wasn't long after the bathroom door banged shut when the sound of the shower was already heard. Robin made sure that the water was freezing cold before he forced himself to step under the spray.

He shouldn't have let himself be taken that far. Yet he had. He didn't actually regret it, but he didn't want to go too far. Not yet. He might want to do it later, but not now. The water that hit him in the back was cold and made him shiver. It was almost burning him and it made his skin tingle and feel like it was gnashing. Robin washed his face with frantic strokes as he tried to get himself back to the current moment. The cold water was doing its task, even if Robin was tempted to finish it himself. He stood under the spray for a while longer before stepping out and turning it off.

The first thing he saw was the mirror on the wall. Normally, Robin wouldn't have paid it much of a second glance, but now he found himself petrified in front of it. Walking closer, he saw the rather big, dark purple hickey on his neck where his shoulder connected to his throat on his left side. Robin couldn't resist but touch it. It was slightly tender. It didn't hurt, but he could still feel it. This wasn't one of those small love bites, but a rather admirable and huge one. Robin felt it on him as he tilted his head to the right in order for him to see it better. Slade managed to leave a mark on him that would rival any other. Hiding a love bite this size would either require him to wear a long collared shirt or maybe a scarf. Thank god his uniform had a proper collar.

Thinking back, Robin couldn't help but to flush red when remembering how he had gotten it. Slade had been on him, kissing him, kneeing him, biting him. Robin felt shivers run up his body and to his misfortune the shivers seemed to have a common destination: his not so flaccid dick.

"Dick, what have you done…" Robin wasn't even sure whom it was directed at anymore. He decided that no cold shower would be able to get him back to normal and make him stay that way until the morning rose anew. He reopened the faucets so that water was once again coming from the shower head. Instead of stepping under the spray, he leaned sideways against the tile wall and grabbed his attention seeking cock to start masturbating. "Damn Slade and his twisted touches…"

The sound of the shower drowned out his voice and hopefully any sound he was about to make. The words did everything else except banish Slade from his thoughts. It seemed that no matter what he did, the villain plagued his mind. As he made yet another entry to his mind, Robin finally gave up and imagined that his hand actually belonged to Slade's, right behind the wall he was leaning on. He hoped that Slade hadn't heard anything over the sound of the shower. He was trying to hold in his pants and sighs as he fondled the tip of his penis, imagining that it was Slade who was doing this. It was almost twisted enough to cause his stomach to flip, but no such thing happened. It felt more like he had thousands of butterflies in his stomach, all flying blindly in the dark and hitting the walls.

Robin shivered as he let his knees go weak. He slid along the wall to rest on the floor. He took a better hold of his cock as he pulled back the foreskin and started to stroke fervently. He couldn't help himself as he imagined Slade's touches on his body and lips on his neck. Robin shivered at the sensation that he wanted to be over already. He had just taken his third cold shower for the day and, after this, he wished to be able to rest in peace for the upcoming night. He swallowed his moans and pants as he tried to get this over with. Slade would become suspicious if he didn't come out soon enough. Worse yet, he would probably offer some help while he was at it.

Robin felt like he was getting close as he thought about Slade coming into the room with him. He had to bite his lip at the exact spot Slade had bitten just mere minutes ago to silence his voice as he finally came. He felt relaxed as his cum smeared his hand. Leaning his back on the wall, he held his hands in the air to avoid smearing the walls or floor. He panted loudly as he tried to sort out his breathing. Robin felt his mouth go dry thanks to all that panting and he had to swallow several times to get the lump down his throat, which had formed just a while ago. Once he deemed himself ready to stand, he walked under the shower to wash himself before turning the shower off for the second time. After getting out, Robin toweled himself clear and dry. He tied his towel around his waist as he stepped outside the bathroom to search for his pajama bottoms.

Slade was lying on his back on his side of the bed, seeming pretty much awake. Robin had a feeling that he knew completely well what he had done back there and he couldn't hold back a blush. He couldn't look straight at Slade either because he was afraid that he might notice the red on his cheeks as he went over to the closet to pull out a new pair of pants to sleep in. Robin quickly dressed with his back to Slade. Once the pants were on, he hung the towel to dry. He took a look at Slade before turning off the lights and sneaking onto his own side of the bed. Once in, he pulled the warm comforters over himself as he tried to relax. Slade might be on the same bed, but that didn't mean anything.

Robin rested quietly for a small while before he felt a hand sneak under his comforter. Soon the arm snaked around his waist and he felt Slade pulling him up against him.

"Good night Robin."

Robin heard the whisper in his ear and, as he saw some of his hair move slightly as the breath hit him, he knew Slade was close. This resulted in his hair to stick up further. Robin had to swallow several times before he managed a voice that wasn't too shaky.

"Night, Slade."

Robin could still feel the arm around him and the breath on his neck. It was a fact that, for the first time, Slade had fallen asleep before Robin. What he hadn't seen was Slade smiling since he had achieved what he was aiming for. He was sure that Robin would be plagued by the memory from this day on and, if the blushing teen and his cool skin had anything to go by, he was already plaguing his mind.

(LINE BREAK)

When Robin woke up in the morning, the first thing he saw was Slade. He was sitting at his computer, reading the screen and occasionally writing something. Robin was reluctant to rise just yet, so now he had time to inspect him. Slade seemed to be in his own world as he worked, but when he clicked the small floppy disk icon at the top left corner of the screen, he leaned backwards in his chair. It seemed that whatever he had been working on had just gotten finished. Slade then stood before walking over to a closet near his table to pull out a small machine that reminded Robin of a printer. He also dug out some fancy paper, which he placed in the paper slot. It seemed that he was printing something special. It didn't take long for Slade to print out something that looked like an invitation. Robin had no idea what the card had to do with anything.

"It seems that you are awake," Slade greeted as he pocketed the invite he had just printed.

He turned off his computer right after and, once the hum of the computer died, he turned around with his chair to face Robin.

"Good morning," Robin finally answered back, now that he knew he had his attention. He started getting out of bed. "What's on the paper?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Slade said as he walked over to hand Robin his uniform.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Robin questioned, while pulling his pants on.

"Nothing much; a mission that will take place at noon and a simulator."

Robin hurried to pull his shirt on. The look Slade gave him made him feel naked and it was making him uneasy. He had dressed in front of Slade before this, but now he felt shy. Robin zipped up his uniform and sealed his belt before he coughed.

"Yeah, so, breakfast…"

They both walked to the kitchen with Slade in the lead. Robin had his eyes and thoughts on him walking beside him. Slade hadn't changed at all. He even seemed to act like nothing had happened several hours before. Maybe nothing had happened. Or maybe he was just overreacting.

Robin followed Slade to the kitchen, where the bots had already served them breakfast. The bots had a full English breakfast served for them, complete with eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. Robin didn't feel too hungry, but as Slade recommended that he ate, he took some bacon and eggs. He sat opposite him on the other end of the table while they did. Slade had his back turned to him. Robin was slightly annoyed at his stubbornness to not just show his face, but he was damned if he had to remove his mask in return. He knew that the only deal Slade would accept in return of showing his face would be for Robin to reveal his. If even that would suffice.

Robin had eaten what little he had placed on his plate and the delicious food seemed to lift his mood. He was sure that he drank at least one liter of orange juice by now. He liked the juice and hadn't even noticed how thirsty he had been. The eggs had been made just perfect and the bacon was crispy. Just the way he liked it.

"So what's today's mission?" Robin asked once he emptied his plate.

Slade had also finished by now and was placing his plate in the sink. Robin followed his example before following him away from the kitchen.

"I'll explain once we are back in the training room."

Robin noticed that his mood had picked up some since he woke up and he even tried to work up some kind of conversation with Slade. Mostly it was just meaningless chitchat about how well he slept, if at all, but once they got into a real conversation, Robin noticed that he felt natural and in his element. The same way he did when he was with his friends. Robin stopped in his tracks to stand astounded in the middle of the hallway. Slade also noticed that he had stopped and stood still to look back.

"What is it, Robin? Come now."

Slade made a gesture with his hand to show Robin that he was to follow, but he was dazed. Had he just thought that Slade was equal to his friends? That was absurd! Robin gritted his teeth and continued walking with Slade. He didn't want him to raise suspicion. He couldn't allow that. His friends were important to him, not Slade. They were his priority and that was that. He couldn't allow this. He couldn't even believe that he had thought that.

Slade led them to the training room while Robin was having an inner quarrel with himself. He was so badly in denial of everything that it was starting to confuse him greatly. It almost made his head hurt at how much he was thinking. Slade was setting up the screen, but Robin was too busy with his thoughts to notice. Slade also set up the screen to show a picture in it with people walking in a building. At times the picture would change to show people walking inside a house. They were all dressed nicely and it seemed like the picture was of security footage of some gala or other formal party. Slade had finally gotten the preparations ready as he turned to Robin, only to notice that he wasn't paying any attention to what he had been doing.

"So, what has got all of your attention, boy?" Slade asked, flicking Robin's forehead with his finger to spite him.

It sure brought him back to the moment. Robin shook his head furiously to get Slade's hands off his face. "What do you want?" he mumbled angrily.

Slade only sneered. Robin was so out of it and he had to wonder why. "I'm wondering what has gotten you so distracted." Slade buried his hand in Robin's hair as he rubbed to his scalp. Robin was sure that he did this only to provoke him. "Might it have anything to do with last night?"

Robin heard the mock in Slade's voice, which only made him deny him even harder. Robin sneered back. "Why would that bother me?"

Slade slid his hand further down Robin's scalp to rub his neck. "But it does, doesn't it? You act like you are in denial."

Not only was Slade ridiculing him, but he even dared to laugh straight at his face. Robin was not happy about this. "I am not! There isn't anything I have to deny to!" Robin argued and fought against his will to make himself push Slade's hand off his neck.

"There isn't? Well answer me this. Which do you like better: girls or boys?"

Robin was too stupefied to answer at first. He took a step back to make sure he wasn't going to grab him again. What was Slade on about? Was this a game? Some kind of mockery? Robin didn't even know what he was suppose to say. No, of course he wasn't gay, if that was what Slade was implying! Robin had never had that first thought to indicate otherwise.

"What?" It took Robin a while to collect enough thoughts to make a coherent sentence. "Well, girls obviously. What's it to you?"

Robin almost stuttered with his words. He was frozen to the spot as Slade straightened his back.

"Fine. That means that your mission of the day is to dress up like a woman, blend into the party, and bring me the prize," Slade explained. Robin was about to complain before he was even finished with his sentence. "Ah, ah, aah. It was _your_ choice."

Robin snapped his mouth shut. He knew when his opinion wasn't to be heard. Slade turned to the screen to show him what was going on. He saw the people walking in and the whole lot drinking punch and exchanging rumors and laughs. They were all dressed up in pretty evening dresses and tuxes.

"It's the gala the mayor has organized. It just started and will be hosted until midnight. You only have two hours however. The target will only be there for so long after all." Slade froze the picture so he could show the mayor greeting his guests. "One of his guests, this man right here." Slade froze the picture again to show a man with a goatee and sideburns. His hair was wild, not nearly shoulder length, and the man himself seemed to be in his thirties. He wore a fashionable black tuxedo. In the man's breast pocket, Robin saw a red handkerchief. He also had a silver pocket watch. Robin also saw, as he placed the clock in his inner chest pocket, a small leather wallet, or something similar, as seen from the camera lens. "That man is Russell. Russel Stevens. Do you know him?"

Slade let the video play again. The cameras were following the man's movements, watching him walk from woman to woman, giving the top of their hands a soft kiss. He only stopped by some higher class men to shake their hands before he was off again. He didn't seem to stand still very long.

"I have heard of him," Robin said. "Doesn't he usually wear glasses?"

Russel scratched the crook of his nose. He was probably lifting his glasses higher on his face, but as he noticed the lack thereof, he resulted in scratching the bridge instead.

"Yes, he usually wears glasses to correct his eyesight," Slade replied.

Robin continued from this. "He's a dealer, right? He makes sure everything gets to the person who wants it? He doesn't deal drugs, but he's more of a middle man or trafficker? I heard that he deals them all: weapons, medicines, tools, you name it. He has a rather admirable façade though, makes honest living with his company, and that's probably the reason he got invited to the gala." Robin followed the man on the screen with his eyes. "What do you want from him?"

Slade hummed approvingly before he explained. "Good observation, Robin. It seems that you know the man well enough. What I want is his pass card. Because he is a dealer, he can pass through anywhere he wants. Mainly I want the access to his warehouse and company. You are to get me that card." Robin nodded. At least this time the mission seemed simple enough. Besides, it was crowded with fancy people, so it all seemed really easy. "You have two hours to bring me the card. You might not need much of anything else than the earpiece."

Robin snorted. "I won't need two hours with such a boring place with nothing to do," he mumbled, already going to get his earpiece.

He wouldn't need any weapons with him. This was not an aggressive mission. He couldn't resist taking a grapple though. He also took two flash bombs with him, just to be safe and secure. If the plan happened to backfire, he could throw the bombs and scram. They weren't too big, so he could easily sneak them in.

"Well, you get two hours anyway," Slade said with a smug voice. "But if you want an extra mission, feel free to listen and memorize all of those juicy gossips they have going on." Slade laughed and Robin had to resist the urge to flip him off. He pocketed the tools he picked out and was already leaving to get dressed but Slade pulled him back by his arm. "Here, have this." Slade handed Robin a small black tool that could easily fit in his palm. The device was flat and seemed like a filter of some sort. "It's a voice altering device piece. Take this as a compliment, but you don't sound too feminine to me. You put the thing in your mouth, preferably on your back molar, and, with your tongue, press it down. It will stick to your tooth and, when you talk, it will alter your voice.

"I recommend that you practice with it because if you talk with your mouth wide open, it won't pick up sound and the voice will be cut into pieces, sounding broken. It's not a really reliable tool, but it's the only thing small and unnoticeable enough to be used in this situation. The device won't literally alter your voice, but because its inside, rather than your vocal cords, it makes a voice that says the same thing you do. Basically it plays over your original voice. So in the other words, what you say can still be heard if you don't keep your voice down. The machine will only create a feminine voice to speak over yours, so I recommend that you keep your voice quiet."

Slade showed the parts of the small tool. He also showed him how to place it properly, also pointing out a small knob on the left corner that changed the tune and high or low of the voice. Robin was pocketing the small black tool too and was walking away as he was once again called back by Slade.

"Dress yourself pretty." Slade handed over the golden ticket he had printed that morning. The ticket was the invitation to the gala. It stated the location and all the other information that Robin still needed. He then nodded in silent thanks. "Make sure you are at the gala by noon. By then you should have come up with a proper name to call yourself or you shall be called Ballerina for the rest of the day. And one more thing." Robin glanced at him, feeling slightly peeved. "Have fun _milady_."

Slade laughed before he guided Robin to a room that only had female clothes and dresses in it. Robin had a faint feeling that these were meant for Terra to be used as a disguise. Slade left him to stand by the door as he waved him off, before slamming it closed behind him to give him privacy as he changed, laughing all the while.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **See previous chapters

**SladinForever: **Next chapter will be censored, just a heads up! The full chapter on another site will be linked to you at the very top, so that you can go straight to it from there :) And sorry for slacking again! These chapters are just so LONG, OTL. But with some of Kaz's help, I was FINALLY able to get it done! I will definitely try my damn hardest to finish the next chapter asap! Again, very sorry *hug*

**Kazhiru:**** SCHOOL IS KILLING ME! Engineering is so asdfgh... Oh, and on a lighter note, the angry commenter before is still totally on the same boat with us, and obviously still reading : D**

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Finding a dress that would suit him was a challenge he had yet to accomplish. And Robin would never admit to finding a dress for himself. He was a man; he didn't dress up all pretty. It was just wrong; a man shouldn't be beautiful. He should be handsome!

Robin had to frown at seeing himself in the mirror for about the hundredth time with yet another dress that didn't suit or fit him. He had too wide of shoulders to wear most of the dresses and he had none of the hips to compliment his features. Not to mention he lacked the one important piece of female anatomy: breasts. The dresses seemed like a bag he had thrown on himself. They were much too loose from the chest or hips, but the shoulders seemed too tight. He had too strong of arms to fit the sleeves comfortably. If he lifted his arms, he was sure one of the tighter silk ones would rip the seam. He would either have to have a dress with comfortable, loose sleeves or no sleeves at all. And that wasn't even the worst of it. Even if he didn't have overly hairy legs, he was still proud to call himself a man and admit that he had to shave if he intended to wear anything that didn't drag. And his legs weren't smooth. They were muscled and strong, not the smooth and soft legs of a female. He had to admit, he wasn't feminine.

Robin was wearing thin on patience as he was now openly pouting at his reflection. He just couldn't pull it off. He didn't have those small and petite hands females did. His hands were too big to fit in small sized gloves, his hair was too short to compliment any dress without looking radical and tomboyish, and his face was too angular. Well, his chin was almost plausible thanks to his heart-shaped face but… NO! He did not just humiliate himself by telling himself he was girly. He wasn't girly in any sense of the word!

Robin tore off yet another dress. Anything that was higher than his knees was out of the question. He had square knees. They didn't look good in a dress. His feet were rather big too, so he would look idiotic in any kind of revealing shoes, like women's sandals. And he _definitely_ couldn't fit his legs into stiletto heels! Not only were they pressing sharply against his toes, but the zipper could barely go all the way up because of his muscled shin. The one pair he actually did get on, he refused to use. How in the hell women walked in those things was beyond his comprehension. Stilettos were not for him in the first place.

Robin tore off, once again, another dress, grunting in annoyance. This was a doomed idea anyway! There simply wasn't a dress for someone like him. He looked awkward in a mere Armani suit even. Robin sighed and scratched his head, ruffling his already messy and static hair even further. He hadn't even gotten to the point of worrying about how to hide his eyes and he was already facing major difficulties. Robin ought to have quit the whole thing and he should have just gotten himself out of the room and demand to fit on some suits. He was a man and he demanded to be treated as such.

Slade on the other hand had been final with his words. He had locked the door behind him and Robin knew that he wouldn't let him out if he wasn't dressed.

Robin kicked a nearby stiletto in frustration as he cursed Slade. He knew that this was some kind of punishment by him or God himself. For what, he didn't know. Maybe it was for fighting with him earlier and hiding his feelings. Right now, he would take back his stupid banter of the morning and admit that he liked to dress as a man. Even if it meant that he'd have to say that he preferred men. Which he did not. He had never thought of any man as anything more than a friend. Never. Either he wasn't gay or Slade was the only who made him all confused like he was now. Just then, Robin heard a clatter as a hanger fell from the rail it was on, breaking his train of thought. The distraction came right on time, because if he was left to think another second, he would be even more confused than he was before.

Robin rose up to examine the fallen hanger. It seemed that the stiletto he had kicked had hit the dress that was hanging from said hanger and thus caused it to fall from its place. He lifted the dress to examine it. It was red, just like his hero uniform's chest, which pleased Robin immensely. It also had some yellow with gold linings and only one suspender. It had frills on it. Below that was a flower made by the same garment as the linings. It was a nice looking dress, he had to admit.

Oh the hell with it! He might as well just try it on. That's what he was there in the first place for, right?

The dress had a zipper on the left side, so it was easy to put on. The frills on the right tickled only slightly but they were so soft that he enjoyed the feeling of them brushing against his shoulder. Once Robin zipped up and evened out the dress on him, he looked in the mirror.

It wasn't too bad for a dress. It didn't sit, but he knew none ever would anyway. It was slightly on the loose side in the waist and breast area, but it was okay. The golden flower on his right chest looked intimidating and the red and yellow colors reminded him of his original uniform. The dress hem reached past his knees, which was good since it hid his manly knees from view. There was a long slit on the side that revealed half of his thigh, which made the dress look tempting and graceful. It made it easier for Robin to move around since his legs could move freely. If the situation aroused, he might even be able to run in it! Finally, a dress that didn't make him look absolutely ridiculous while wearing it. If he could find something to stuff in his hips and chests to pass off as breasts, it would be near perfect.

Robin's smile suddenly faltered. He saw his Adam's apple moving up and down as he swallowed and his arms were still slightly too muscular to fit with the dress. And he still had to shave. Robin frowned and started to search for something to wear to hide his arms. He rummaged through the piles of clothes and found ones he had missed. At the end of one, there was something that caught his attention. Robin hadn't noticed it before he had actually thrown it against the wall on accident as he searched. The thing made a small clicking sound as something solid hit the wall, and Robin went to find the cloth once again. The cloth had fallen on a green silk scarf and Robin picked up both. At closer examination Robin noticed that it wasn't a cloth at all, but a choker. The choker was green with a lucid rhinestone diamond hanging from it. It was the shape of a tear drop. It seemed like it was a tear yet to fall. Robin examined the thing before he walked in front of the full body mirror and, out of curiosity, tried it on.

The choker was thick enough to hide his Adam's apple from view and as he slid the silky green scarf on, he had to smile. The scarf was transparent enough to show the dress and his arms, but it smoothed them out, making them appear less muscled. Robin was glad. He had found a perfect dress and the colors made him happy. It was like a more formal, female version of his uniform. Robin went on to hunt for shoes. After skipping every pair of stilettos, which he absolutely refused to use, he found a pair of platform shoes. The mahogany sole was rich and it clattered when he walked. The shoe itself was red just like his dress. Robin was pleased with his finding. He was returning to the full body mirror when he saw something from the side of his vision. It was black and the garment looked like it was part of some wetsuit. He had no idea what it was. It looked like some very stupid pair of boxers and the material was so thick that it looked like it would add a few pounds. But then it dawned on Robin. Maybe it didn't make one fatter, but it was more for someone who had hips. He just hoped that his skin could breath through the cloth and it wasn't too sweaty.

Robin took the thing with him and looked at himself from a smaller mirror on the make-up table. On the table, to his surprise, he found some balloons and a red mask with gold linings that covered the upper half of his face without looking too offensive.

"Jackpot."

Robin laughed as he moved to the bathroom to shave his legs. He'd have to take the dress off if he'd want to wear those things to make him have some hips. Once he had shaved and put everything back on, he looked at the mirror. It was time to dry and fill the balloons with water. He had seen Beast Boy use water balloons as breasts before as he had taunted the girls. In Robin's opinion, those things had seemed rather realistic. He had taken a random pair of bras with him and was now weighing his options. He didn't want to make his chest excessively huge and he knew that his dress wasn't meant for D cups either. Robin tried to have some decent A, nearly B cups pair, and noticed that it was harder to get equal amount of water in both balloons than it looked. But after some trial and error, he finally got it right and he had to admit that he looked good. Now he only had to mind his movements and be sure to not to kneel or bow too deeply to accidentally flash anything. He didn't want anyone to discover his secret.

Robin was about to step out from the bathroom, but on the last thought he decided to add some lipstick and rouge. Not too much, but only slightly to make a difference. He refused to wear a wig so he just made sure that his hair was okay. He had combed it backwards against his head and wore a hair band. The hair on his forehead formed a small, round, wave-like addition to the hairdo and from the sides of his face, he let a couple of bangs fall along his face to frame it. He looked cute, yet intimidating. Slade would be proud. Robin suddenly blushed as he thought of him. He hadn't even noticed it, but he knew now why he wanted to look good: he wanted to impress Slade. He didn't know why, but he did. It wasn't like he was even coming with him, so why bother?

Robin settled the silk scarf on his shoulders more securely and grabbed a small purse with the invitation tucked in as he excited the room. He was about to knock on the door to let Slade know that he was ready, but froze just at the last second to grab a pair of long, red gloves to hide his manly hands. He didn't have well pedicured fingers either. He didn't want anyone to mock him for his calloused hands and hard knuckles. Robin pulled the gloves on before knocking on the door. It was open for him almost immediately after.

"Well, you sure took your time. You―" Slade cut himself off when he saw Robin exit the room. He examined him thoroughly, admitting to himself that Robin indeed looked good. Even with the color choices he was stunning. Slade had to quickly recompose himself before Robin noticed his slip. "―Look good. Have you thought of a name?" he inquired.

The door closed behind Robin as he froze for a moment. He had almost forgotten about that. "Um, will Christine do?" he mumbled, throwing a name at random.

Christine wasn't half bad. He had no idea where it came from, but it had a nice ring to it.

"Christine it is then. I'll take you to the gala."

Slade took hold of Robin's hand and led him through the hallways. Robin couldn't help but blush over the fact he was leading him like they were a real couple going to the dance floor. To get his mind off this, he absentmindedly toyed with the mouthpiece that was to alter his voice. He fondled it in his fingers for a while before lifting it to his lips and slipping it into his mouth. He pressed it against his palate and was almost surprised to notice that it actually stayed in place.

"So how do you adjust this thing?" Robin asked, almost shocked at his own voice.

It sounded really odd and different. It flickered from deep to high and broke off here and there. Robin shut his mouth in fear of making the same sound again.

"There's a wheel on the side. Roll it with your tongue," Slade advised in slight amusement. Robin, of course, started searching for the wheel, only to get scolded right after. "Try not to make that face in the near future, especially if you don't wish to be found out at the party."

Robin tried to even out his grimace as he adjusted the wheel. "I can always say that I got some food stuck between my teeth," he said without thinking.

Robin's voice cracked and was suddenly such a deep baritone that he had to cover his mouth and hide his face for the absolute mortify he felt. Slade only laughed at this, probably highly amused by Robin's antics.

"That wouldn't be a womanly thing to say, Robin."

The boy tried to adjust the dial once again, only to end up with a way too high pitched voice that was more shrill than what a real women could achieve. Slade tried to help him by giving which direction to turn it, but Robin was embarrassed enough as it was and ended up turning the dial too much one way or the other. Finally getting sick of his incompetence, Slade reached for him.

"Here, let me. Now say aah."

Robin was about to shake his head and deny his help, but before he could protest, Slade had a firm hold of his jaw and his forefinger was already in his mouth, reaching for the dial. Robin made a surprised noise that slightly resembled the "aah" sound Slade had requested. He didn't know if he should bite the finger or not, but as he noticed his voice actually changing, he relaxed and let Slade adjust the thing. His voice went from shrill to something slightly deeper and, soon, started to sound more feminine. With a final turn, it finally resembled a kind woman with a delicate voice. It was almost astounding as his own voice sounded so different and foreign to his own ears. Robin couldn't wait for him to be done with the adjustment. Having Slade's finger in a place where it definitely wasn't welcome was more awkward than it was disturbing. Once he finally announced that he was done, Robin was more than eager to close his mouth, even if he did so too early, which accidentally allowed Slade's finger to brush against his lips as he retracted it. Robin had to rub his lips automatically afterward.

"Is it any good?" Robin finally asked, hoping his face didn't rival the tomatoes that were set at the breakfast table this morning.

"Pristine. Now, try getting used to using it. Try some high and low voices and see how it works," Slade recommended with an encouraging tune in his voice.

Robin gave a questioning glance at the man, but tried it out anyways. "I don't know what to say." Robin's voice was perfectly in sync with a woman's gentle tone and hearing his voice alone made him excited. "Oh wow, this actually works!"

At the "works" part, his voice cracked, reverting it to his regular voice for a moment before it adjusted back to the girly warble. That's how Robin found his limit. The machine would talk over his voice as long as he kept it at an indoor voice. He then tried to sound excited, scared, overjoyed, and even slightly rushed to see if he could get enough emotion behind his words without cracking the voice.

"Good job Robin. You better train more while we drive there, then you'll get to try it out in action." Slade was proud that Robin had mastered the thing as fast as he had and was glad that he was eager to learn how to use it. "Remember, when adjusting the wheel, only use slight movements. It's a rather delicate project after all."

Robin nodded. He was getting over his previous embarrassment thanks to the excitement he now felt. He was more than eager to test out the small project. The next thing he knew, he was trying to master as sultry and seductive of a voice that he could muster, just to see if he could get Slade to retract. When it was laced with a slightly husky, but absolutely tempting voice of a female, Robin was glad to find out that Slade had indeed been taken aback. Even if it was for the shortest of time, Robin saw the small twitch in his walk and how his brow arched, which pleased him. He couldn't hold back the alluring smile on his face as he walked to the car, leaving Slade to walk behind and stare after him.

Soon, they were outside Slade's base, ready to step into a rather fine looking car—probably rented out just for this one night. Robin had waited for Slade to catch up. Once there, he opened the back door of the limousine. Robin didn't comment on his help, even though he was eligible to help himself. He hoped that Slade was just as considerate to not laugh at his stumbling with the platform shoes. First of all, he had tried to get to the car the old fashioned way, by leg first. Everything else followed while he took a leap in, until he noticed his error thanks to the ten-centimeter high sole of the platform shoe. Giving himself some more height, he decided on a more feminine kind of way to approach the situation: lay his ass on the seat, then bring his feet in while minding the hem. Yet, Robin forgot to lift his leg high enough and accidentally banged his heel on the side of the car. But hey, this was the first time he wore heels. He deserved some credit.

"I'm not fit for this female role, am I?"

Robin wasn't asking it as much as he was admitting it to himself and Slade. The man had to agree, but a reassuring pat on his shoulder was all the comfort he needed. "You'll get the hang of it. Just try to empathize."

Robin felt reassured, but he knew that he was too clumsy for the such a petite person he had dressed up to be. No, he didn't really stumble with his feet and he had somewhat mastered the use of a higher heel already, but he kept forgetting that he was a delicate woman in a beautiful dress. He couldn't just get rid of his previous habits that quickly or easily. He wasn't used to acting in a female's point of view, but if he wanted this to go well tonight, he had better master it pretty soon or he'd be doomed.

Robin had gotten rather silent for the ride. Mostly because he was trying to clear out his brain and concentrate on the female role. Once he stepped out of the car, he would have to act like a graceful woman. And on top of that, he had to act natural and manage to steal the pass card. So the heels he wore were the least of his problems.

And with those thoughts, it didn't take long until the car already drove close to the entrance of the gala. The robot that had driven them there wished Robin a good evening with a static voice, but it was Slade's words that finally got his attention.

"Enjoy the party and don't drink too much, m'lady," Slade sneered, friendly shoving Robin on his arm to get him to move.

Robin slapped Slade's hand off and playfully added, "Don't worry, I'll be too young to drink anyway. See you in a bit."

Robin didn't plan on staying at the gala any longer than he absolutely had to. Outside of the car, he could see people walking into the huge white marble building, all wearing beautiful and fancy dresses and suits. He could hear people talking all around him, as well as the clatter of high heels against the pavement as women walked on the pavement with their lean and long legs. Next to those beautiful women were men strutting alongside, looking handsome with their hair slicked back and the shining cufflinks holding their collars and ties to match their companion's dress. And just then, Robin realized what he had gotten himself into. He was lucky that he knew well the proper etiquette when attending a formal party. Now if he could only manage to act like a proper snob lady, he'd be all set. Robin leaned out his now smooth and shaved leg and rose to stand with class. From now on, he couldn't afford mistakes. If he could at least make himself believe that he was a rich, confident and stylish lady, he'd be all set. Luckily, he knew that he was. He hoped that he could believe on those thoughts, if only for the next hours or so. Robin paid his last good-byes to Slade before closing the door silently. He then fixed the hem of his dress nervously before walking all the way into the building, reminding himself to step with his heel and not with his whole sole.

The building was more impressive from the inside than it was by the outside, even if Robin had taken a liking to the marble pillars outside. Inside, there were high alcoves and tall red curtains and long carpets. People were all around, some sitting by the fire on really comfortable looking chairs while others just enjoyed the company by trading topics near the huge table filled with food, snacks, and drinks. Some people were even taking a stroll on the dance floor, the music playing loud enough to be heard around the house, but not enough to drown out people's conversing. Robin was sure that even if this was a gala, there had to be a high entry fee to be able to attend this. With a house this big with so many people to attend to, there had to be more than just fundraiser money involved. And even if the mood was actually rather enjoyable, the sheer amount of people who had come to attend was impressive. On the black and white marble floor, there were more than enough people doing their own thing. It seemed almost impossible for Robin to find the one person he was looking for: Russell Stevens.

Robin zigzagged in the crowd, trying to avoid bumping into too many people, while minding his dress and posture. Even if Russell wasn't a man to draw attention to himself, the man wasn't hard to find. He was a man that was attracted by attention after all. He was sitting on one of those huge red armchairs by the fire, enjoying a chat with his colleagues and their wives. It was clear in the man's gaze that he had not brought his own companion along. His eyes were practically undressing his friends' girlfriends with his gaze and the looks that were passed dared them to come along into the game. But the girls were too shy and modest to answer his needs, not with their boyfriends or husbands right there with them. It was a wonder none of said colleagues had taken the hint yet. But the fact was that there he was, with people, Robin didn't have the guts to just waltz in and intrude. He didn't know what to say to the man even if he dared to step into the conversation. But, if he was lucky, he might get his attention without putting himself on the line.

With that, Robin went to stand and lean against the nearby wall that was right at the end of Russell's gaze. If the man could read him right, he would be over here, asking about him in no time. Girls did this all the time. Something about subtle hints and all that. But Robin was no girl. So he didn't know if it would actually work or not. In the end, he ended up in his thoughts, thinking about another idea. Maybe a more direct approach? Would getting on the dance floor next to him work? That was easier said than done. Robin wasn't that good with slow dances. And this wasn't a disco, this was a formal ball. He had danced formal before, sure. He knew the steps, for men that is, and even then he was slightly stiff. Maybe he just hadn't gotten to relax with his previous dance partners and was too nervous to actually enjoy the dance. He already had one not so pleasant dance partner in his mind and anyone could take a wild guess on who that was. Wait, this was a formal prom. The teen princess Kitten wouldn't be here, would she? No, even she wouldn't recognize him in this dress. Now Robin, focus. He lifted his eyes from his platform shoes to look at Russell. Or at least the armchair the man had vacated just a while ago. Don't tell him that he had just lost him!

"Why so glum, princess?" a man, who was suddenly standing right next to him and offering Robin a drink, asked. Robin turned to face the man only to recognize the familiar face. It was none other than Russell who had retrieved, what Robin hoped, was a glass of punch. Robin took the glass and paid a hurried glance at the bottom of it to make sure it wasn't spiked. Not that he could have seen if it was tampered with, anyway. Usually people couldn't see, smell, or taste if a drink was spiked, but he promised himself that if he would come to feel faint at any point, he'd call Slade immediately.

"I…It's nothing." Robin smiled at Russell, even if it was just a small tug at the corner of his lip. "Mister," he added quickly.

Robin wanted to appear polite and, even if he knew exactly who he was dealing with, Christine did not.

"Pardon my rudeness, I'm Russell. Russell Stevens."

The man offered his hand for Robin to shake and he accepted it immediately. He reminded himself to hold his fingers loosely together and not squeeze very hard, or at all. He didn't want to hear any jokes about his good grip.

"Christine. Pleasure to meet you," Robin cooed and he was glad that his voice was altered. He couldn't imagine himself blabbering like he just did.

"No, the pleasure is all mine. But tell me, what is such a pretty thing like yourself doing here, and not to mention, alone?" Russell wrapped his hand around Robin's shoulder while he flirted and sweet coated his words shamelessly. Even if he had to cringe when the man leaned too close to his liking and acted like he had just found his future soul mate, Robin couldn't say that he minded. After all, this was what he had wanted, to get the man's attention, and now he had it. Slightly too much so, but he had it all the same. Russell then turned Robin to face the dance floor and pointed at the people dancing. "Shouldn't you be over there, having fun and showing off that sweet body of yours?"

As Robin thought Russell's words couldn't get more cloying, he found a whole new ultimatum. Apparently, Robin had to stifle both a "yuck" and a fit of laughter, because he himself knew exactly what was behind the dress he wore, and it was far from the "sweet body" Russell had mentioned.

"I couldn't possibly!" Robin slapped his hand on the air as if brushing off the topic. Thank god the project altered his voice automatically, because he knew that he couldn't master such a sweet tune. "I'm too shy to go out there alone."

Robin hoped he looked at least slightly more sincere than he felt. He took a fake sip of his drink to pretend a blush. He seemed to sound good enough for Russell as he slowly dragged his fingers against his bare arm, which caused him to shiver from head-to-toe and almost swallow the voice altering device. He was glad that he hadn't because Russell had already continued his pursuit.

"Why did you come here then, honey? You don't dance and you seem too shy to socialize. You are like a sheep in the middle of a pack of wolves. You could use someone to show you around."

Robin could have painted wolf in bold letters on Russell's forehead because of how he was hitting on him, but he had to play along. "I like the mood. I also love to meet new people."

Robin smiled shyly. He knew that Russell was already onto him and he didn't want the man to hump his leg too. If this is what girls had to deal with every moment they step outside their front door, he was glad to be born male.

"Oh, anyone in particular?" Russell cooed.

Robin flinched as he felt the man's hand that had just been petting his arm now sliding against his side to his waist. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat. "Just one."

He had made that sound more like a question than it was an answer. He forced his eyes to stare at Russell's own. He was so glad that he had a mask on his face, so he wouldn't see the more than worried look he now adorned. Russell seemed to make his own opinion of his look and the smile he wore was one to make sure that everyone knew that once this night was over, this particular woman would be spending the rest of the evening in his bed. Robin didn't plan on letting that happen. _Ever_.

"Care to take a spin on the dance floor, sugar?"

It wasn't that much of a question anymore since Russell was already leading Robin away from the spot they had been standing. Which was probably a good thing because Robin didn't trust his voice right now. He feared of snapping at him.

Russell led Robin by his arm to the dance floor, but they made a quick loop by the huge dinner table so they could find someplace to place their glasses. Russell had been occupying Robin the whole time, talking about himself, his job, his reputation, and his wealth, to which Robin hadn't paid much mind. To be honest, he didn't care that much. Everything the man had said, he had read from his files already. Once he was setting away his glass of nearly untouched drink, he froze, eyes glazed straight ahead of him.

"But it wasn't until a couple of years ago when my company finally got the kick that made it what it is today… Are you listening?" Russell asked as Robin had not nodded back to him in a while.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Robin mumbled.

Russell followed his gaze to see what had caught his "sweet heart's" attention. "Ah, you are looking at the Teen Titans. We know each other rather well."

'_We do?'_ Robin had to ask himself. He couldn't imagine dealing much with the man in the past and he was on the Teen Titans himself. Not that the man knew that. So instead, he asked, "You do?"

Russell only laughed wholeheartedly and took Robin's arm again. "Of course I do. Would you fancy to meet them? Of course you do! Come, I'll introduce you," Russell instantly insisted, nearly dragging Robin by his arm to his friends.

Right then, Robin felt as if he should fight for his life. Anything to stay as far from the other Titans as he could. He couldn't trust himself around them. He had missed them so bad for the last few days, he was sure that he couldn't keep his cool. He was afraid that he would blow his cover immediately. He wanted to run to them, talk to them, tell them to not worry about him, yet, he was too scared to even fight back Russell's grip as he dragged him closer to his impending doom. Robin hoped that he didn't seem too hesitant since Russell had seen it clear that he had wanted to meet them, but now it took all his will power to keep on walking. It seemed that his legs had just frozen in place when he saw Starfire among his friends. She looked tired, worried, and one could even say depressed. Robin hated to be the cause of her distress. Fortunately, Beast Boy was already cheering her up and offering her some grapes. They all seemed to be there, even Cyborg and Raven, and everyone had dressed up formally. Robin only had to wonder what got them to arrive at this occasion?

"Good evening, Titans," Russell welcomed himself into their conversation, pulling Robin along. Robin couldn't even put to words how nervous he felt at the moment. Slade was probably watching this whole ordeal from his monitors with a grave look. Russell, as obvious as he could be, ignored the Titans' wary greetings and continued. "I wish to introduce you to Christine."

Russell put his hand on Robin's waist, squeezing his side to emphasize the point. Robin felt really embarrassed. If only his friends knew who he was, all hell would be let loose.

"Hi. Nice to meet you."

Robin was so nervous that his voice-altering project would fail him now that it mattered the most, but it never did.

"Nice to meet you too," Cyborg answered.

From his quick greeting back, Robin noted that he had filled his place as leader for the time being.

"Hey, aren't there five of you? Where's the last one?"

Russell was pointing at each of the Titans, leaving the question hanging in the air. The last of Starfire's happiness seemed to have been sapped from her at that moment. Robin had to wonder if she could even fly in her current condition. He hated himself for causing so much grief in his friends. They were so badly dependent on him. This made Robin wonder: would it always be like this if he left them for good?

"Robin is absent and taking care of personal matters at the moment," Raven cleared up.

Raven sounded almost offended, but after all, this was Raven they were talking about, so she just sounded strict and emotionless. Her words didn't ease Starfire at all though. Robin, on the other hand, was slightly relieved. If Raven said that he was taking care of business, rather than admitting that he was missing, that meant that Slade had given them his letter. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"I'm sure he is alright. I bet he misses you as much as you do them," Robin said earnestly, without thinking his words, with his metaphorical hand on his heart.

All of the Titans stared at him for a long while before Beast Boy cut in. "I bet you are right. He said he would be back soon."

Robin saw the gleam of faith in his eyes. He knew that the kid had placed his trust on his return. Robin had to smile encouragingly at him.

"Why is it that you have come to talk with us?" Starfire asked, finally feeling comfortable enough to let herself into the conversation, which delighted Robin immensely. He still liked her after all, and he couldn't endure to look at her when she was so sad over him.

"I wanted to meet you all. I have seen you do all these wonderful things for the city and I ought to thank you for that."

Robin felt so uncomfortable speaking from someone else's point of view for a change. It was harder and harder to hold back his true feelings and opinions when they got the conversation going. It seemed that the Titans liked Christine as much as they liked Robin. The feeling of being accepted by his friends was overwhelming.

The conversation was soon picking up with them all and even Russell seemed to get himself in a rather nice conversation with Cyborg over some mechanics. The man even offered to get him some parts, so long as Cyborg paid him a call. Not that Robin had been paying any attention to him, he merely made sure that the man didn't escape on him. Robin was busy with Starfire.

"Girl's gotta stick together. He'll come back in one piece and all of your worry would have been for nothing," Robin tried to reassure her. "It's okay to worry, but you shouldn't let it take over you."

At some point, Robin was sure that he saw her smile and laugh along with the others. He was having such a good time that he barely even remembered his original mission. It was just so easy to let his guard down around his friends. He was overjoyed to reunite with them, sure, but he also felt guilty for causing this. Guilt was starting to creep higher and higher on his list of concerns. It felt like maggots were gnawing at his skin and he was worried that his friends might someday hate him for all he had done. But soon, the mission came back, haunting Robin, reminding itself to him, and he was making his way to have a word with Russell when he felt a tug at his arm. Looking over, he saw that it was Beast Boy.

"Erm, hi, Christine," he mumbled, his ears twitching slightly.

Robin realized he was slightly distressed. "Hello Beast Boy. What's up?" he asked, not even remembering to act his part. But thankfully for him, Beast Boy hadn't seemed to notice.

"You seem like a pretty cool person, you know, and I was wondering… Would you like to dance with me?"

Beast Boy had blabbered the whole last sentence out in one fast breath, making Robin blush. Dance with Beast Boy?

"Me?"

Robin was kind of surprised that he wanted to dance with him, but at that moment he remembered that he was, after all, dressed up as a girl. Beast Boy had no idea that he was just asking his best friend to dance with him. Oh no, he couldn't _possibly_ have a crush on him when they just met!

"Well, it's a good song and I kinda like it and I would like to ask you and…" Beast Boy rambled.

Robin had to hold back a laugh. Good song? In any other situation, he would be nagging about how boring the song was and question why they couldn't play something more…modern on the speakers. But Robin had to stop the boy from embarrassing himself even further.

"Sure," Robin replied, to Beast Boy's delight, for his eyes seemed to lighten up.

"Really?"

Robin couldn't resist smiling, even though he knew he would look like a complete idiot with that face. At the moment, he had to admit that Beast Boy seemed too cute and naive for his own good.

"Yes, really. You asked, didn't you?"

He couldn't help but tease, but it went unnoticed.

"That I did. Come on, I call the bids to the next song!" Beast Boy declared, and took Robin by his wrist to pull him on the dance floor.

Robin tried not to stumble with his shoes as Beast Boy obviously was eager to get to the dancing part. He couldn't help but laugh. Once they both were on the floor Robin was surprised that Beast Boy even knew _how_ to dance. He had taken hold of Robin's waist and the fingers of his left hand were entwined with his. If it wasn't for the gloves he wore, he would feel the smooth skin against his palms. Robin was, in one way, glad that the song was a slow one, so he didn't have to put up with Beast Boy's usually annoying and immature self, but the closeness he had to endure now was almost unnerving. He could feel his breath on his neck and was able to smell him since his head was on his shoulder. Beast Boy danced so close that he was almost pressed against his chest, and the height difference made it slightly funny. Robin had to always remind himself that he had to let Beast Boy lead.

With how slow the dance was, Robin felt like it seemed to last for hours. He could feel Beast Boy's arm on his waist and his fingers traced small circles on his skin. He almost wanted to push him slightly further away, but he didn't dare. This moment had to be the longest and most awkward four minutes of his life. But as the song ended, Cyborg was clapping his hands at them and Beast Boy turned as red as a fire truck. It took no time for Robin's not-so-charming knight without a white horse to swoop over him and continue where Beast Boy had left off.

"May I have this dance?" Russell had the decency to ask, but Robin knew that he wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer.

"Of course, Russell," Robin tried to purr at his ear.

This was for the mission, Robin reminded himself, as he grudgingly placed both his hands on Russell's shoulders. He rested his chin against his collarbone while Russell had his hands on his hips. Robin would pay anything to push them away as he massaged his skin through the red dress. This evening had so much wrong in it that it wasn't even funny anymore. He had been reduced to a mere fool and one might even say a whore for two hours of his miserable life, and it wasn't even with his consent. Now, he just needed to grab the pass card and get the hell away. What time was it anyways? Robin took a look at the clock and almost felt his heart at his throat. He already spent nearly two hours on this. He had spent an hour and a half joking around and had only half an hour left. Robin almost dug his hands into Russell's shoulder in his panic, but it just caused him to moan in his ear. Robin suddenly recoiled. He was enjoying this? Robin shuddered. This was turning vile. He didn't want to be in any contact with the man and, right now, he was practically forced to be pushed against him. He could even feel his groin against his thigh. He hoped to god that he wouldn't come any closer. One, because he had man bits down there that he didn't want Russell to know about, but mostly, he just wanted him as far away from him as physically possible, preferably out of his life as well.

Robin felt Russell's deep breaths on his neck. His fingers got bolder, going lower, pressing harder, and massaging wider areas. Robin hated it. He had to gulp down the disgust in his throat as he slid his hands against his chest, causing his breath to falter. Russell moaned when Robin slid his fingers under his black dress jacket. The man traced his lips against his neck, which Robin hated with every fiber of his being. All he wanted to do was scratch his face, but since he wore gloves, he would have to resolve with his purse making sweet contact with Russell's face. Not that he dared to do that. He needed the pass card, not more attention.

Robin searched Russell's inner pockets for the card, making him moan and nibble on Robin's neck. The bastard thought he was feeling him up! Good thing, because it distracted him from what Robin was really doing, but dear Christ, he hated how close the man got. He was too close for comfort, invading Robin's comfort zone completely. He eased his fingers into Russell's inner chest pocket and grabbed the pass card in his hand. He then slid his hand against his chest and down his side before sliding the card to his purse. And Russell didn't suspect a thing! Thank god. Then the dance ended and Robin was glad to push him off.

"You're a good dancer," Russell commented in a purr.

Robin felt like gagging. He didn't have time to think though as Russel got closer to him, his hands feeling the sides of Robin's mask before taking a grip on it. He didn't have time to pull it off as Robin already had his firm grip on his wrist. He wouldn't let him take his mask off.

"You shouldn't," Robin mumbled, pulling his hand off his face.

"Or maybe I should?" Russell intimidated, but Robin took none of that. What kind of mixed signals was Russell getting? No meant no!

"Not on the first date. Oh, look at the time! I should be leaving," Robin commented, taking a step back to get Russell off his neck.

"On the second date then? Can I have your number?"

Russell was sticking to him like glue, but luckily Robin had thought a resolve for this. "I would be offended if you wouldn't want one," he cooed.

Smirking, Russell was digging in his pockets for pen and paper. In this state, he didn't even notice the missing card. Robin smiled as he took the offered items. He couldn't even hide his evil smirk as he wrote on the paper.

'_Enjoy her company, you sick piece of grime,' _Robin thought to himself as he wrote Kitty's cell number on the paper. _'Consider this payback.'_

Don't even ask why he knew Kitty's number, he just had a bad habit of memorizing all he could about his potential opponents, so he knew how to take them down when the time came. And this was one of those times. Robin still wore the devil's smile as he handed the paper back. He then took a more than alluring retreat, indicating with his fingers a "call me" gesture before he walked off. He wouldn't, repeat, _wouldn't_, do this again. Ever. Robin was almost running to the exit when he was stopped by someone's words.

"Christine, freeze." Robin somehow couldn't move. Maybe it was the snide tone in Raven's voice, or something else completely. Robin carefully turned around. Not many feet away stood Raven. She hovered to stand only a couple of feet from him. "I saw what you did," she said, her unemotional and cold voice digging under Robin's skin, making him shiver in nervousness.

He couldn't afford this tirade. The Titans could decide to fight him any minute now and that might cause him to reveal his identity, or worse, hurt them. Neither was an outcome that he anticipated.

"What are you talking about?"

Raven didn't buy Robin's innocent voice and words at all. "Don't act coy. I know that you stole something and I want you to return it," she demanded. She didn't move at all and it was intimidating.

"I didn't take anything," Robin tried once more, taking a step backwards. He would flee, but he wouldn't fight. He didn't have any equipment to fight with except his fists and he wouldn't hurt his friends.

"I will tell you one last time: return what you stole or face the consequences," Raven threatened.

Right then, Robin ran. Raven wasn't letting the subject go and he knew it. The only option was to flee, as cowardly as it seemed. Robin heard Raven call for the other Titans and Beast Boy was on his heels in no time. At the moment, he was the fastest of the group and the shoes Robin wore were seriously hindering. He almost made it to the fire exit door, but was pulled back as Beast Boy took a grab of the dress hem. Robin, of course, had been running during this chase and now that he had been rudely halted, the dress was almost pulled off of him. Thankfully, the suspender kept it somewhat in place, so only one of the water balloons he had used as a fake breast fell out.

Beast Boy stared at the thing like it was an unknown projectile from Mars before he turned his confused face to Robin. He even looked a little shocked. "Who are you and who did I dance with?"

Robin tried to pull the hem from Beast Boy's grasp, but his grip held tight. "Fine, if you want them so badly, have them!" Robin yelled with his girly voice, which cracked only once.

Robin gravely hoped that the Titans couldn't recognize the small crack in his voice with his true persona. He didn't have time for that though. He shoved his hand down the collar of his dress and pulled the other water balloon off as well before throwing it straight at Beast Boy's face. He made a sound of surprise, which was similar to a yelping dog, as the water smeared Beast Boy all over. He let go of Robin's dress to wipe the water off his face, giving Robin the opportunity to make a mad dash to the door. He ran up the stairs to get to the roof while rummaging through his purse for the hook shot and smoke bombs.

The Titans weren't far away. Raven and Starfire were right behind him thanks to their ability to fly. They were almost reaching him when Robin pulled the hook shot from his purse and shot it at the roof, to pull himself up faster so he wouldn't need to run up the stairs. He just barely missed Starfire's dive and Raven threw random objects at him, almost knocking him down, but his hold on the grapple was sturdy. He was glad that it reeled him up rather fast, faster than he anticipated. Once he was up there, he ran to reach the edge of the building.

"You must stop!" Starfire yelled, dashing after him.

But Robin was already in position, right at the edge of the building. The other Titans were by the door, so Robin did what he had to do. He threw a flash bomb at them and, without worrying what would happen, turned himself around to wrap his scarf around the wire that would reel himself down. The bomb went off only a little after Robin turned his back to the teens. He was glad that he had. The flash was so powerful that it made the edges of Robin's vision white and he was sure his friends would be blind for a while.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled before jumping off the building and sliding along the wire to get to a lower level.

Robin knew that what he did was for the best. He had to stop his friends from tracking him so he could complete his deal with Slade. He missed them too, but he needed to get back. What he had done was for the best, but why did it feel so wrong? Why did he feel like he was betraying his friends? Robin shook his head and rushed downwards on the wire. At this precise moment, it wasn't important to get back to Slade. Robin needed to get his priorities in order. He was really afraid that after this, his friends would hate him and desert him. But, deep down inside, he knew that they would never do such a thing. And if he was lucky, they'd never even know. Robin felt so much guilt for them that he felt it at the bottom of his stomach. With his whole being, he wished that his friends wouldn't hate him.

Robin soon hit the floor, but couldn't quite control his footing with the stupid shoes on, so he fell and scraped his knees and arms as he tried to protect himself. The moment he finally managed to get himself to sit up, he tore the shoes off. So far, they had only been a hindrance! Robin wrapped the now ruined scarf around the shoes and made a make-do backpack with said scarf. He didn't dare leave anything behind as evidence. Robin then took a mad dash to reach Slade's base. He had only five minutes to reach his destination. He couldn't possibly make it! But he tried anyways. He ran as fast as he could, scowling and wrinkling his face every time something dug at the sole of his feet. He didn't have time to wonder about such a thing. The Titans would be gaining on him if he stopped for a moment. Not that he could stop anyways, because he knew that time was essential now.

Robin tried to take not so obvious routes, but he favored all kinds of short cuts, and by the time he reached Slade's base, he was sure that he had just broken all his previous records with his speed. He was thankful that the doors opened automatically for him. Making a mad dash at the room with the storage in it to return his earpiece and the rest of the junk to call off the timer, Robin heard the faint taps of the sole of his feet hitting the floor and echoing against the walls. He rushed into the room and threw all of his tools in their proper place without thinking. Only then did he stop to breathe. His lungs burned like never before and everything stung. His head was pounding and he was panting so hard that he thought that no matter how much air he got, it just wasn't enough. Robin turned to look at the timer, to see how much time he had left, and his next breath hitched. He stared at the counter in disbelief. The line of round zeros blared at him like a last sentence. Robin couldn't do much more than pant for breath and to try swallowing down the foaming drool.

"You are late, Robin." Slade appeared behind him, looking disappointed. Robin knew that he was. The man also looked rather mad for some reason and Robin retreated to lean against the wall. "You know what we promised as consequences."

Slade leaned over Robin and grabbed him by his arm to pull him up.

"I'm sorry, I tried to get here as fast as I could, but I got the card! The Titans, they were there, and-!"

Robin was cut off when Slade shushed him while taking the card from his shaking hand. "No excuses, Robin. Communicating with the Titans was also on the list of unforgivable actions. Just be glad I'm not punishing you for that too." Grabbing his arm, Slade dragged Robin out of the room, guiding him down the hall. Robin tried resisting him the whole way, but he was too tired from his running and it took most of his concentration to just even out his breathing. "I'm sorry for this, I really am, but you leave me no choice. Don't take this as an act of cruelty, because I hate to do this. Just remember that hardships build character, Robin."

Slade took long steps, making Robin jog to keep up with his pace.

"What are you planning to do?" Robin questioned.

Slade's lack of an answer only made him more nervous. He knew Slade was not a man known to spare the rod. And then they entered a room. It was odd to Robin, because honestly he had been expecting something like a torture chamber. He wouldn't even be half surprised if it was. He could take a hit, that was for sure, so he was more than surprised to see a small room with nothing inside of it expect a box that was two feet every which way. It definitely wasn't a huge box. Robin bet that Slade kept all of his tools in there.

Slade dragged Robin to the middle of the room to stand by the box. He was almost surprised that he didn't fight back too much. Robin, on the other hand, was nervous as all hell, but he also wanted to know what was inside the box. Slade hadn't said anything yet. He could do a number of things: whip him, cut him, beat him, anything. Whatever he planned to do, the tools were inside the box. Robin couldn't help the nervousness that crept up to his neck from the bottom of his churning stomach. It felt like it was filled with butterflies, all flying around in panic as chaos was released inside his very being. It made him tense and his hands itch. Slade then pulled Robin against his side, pressing him so tight that he couldn't even move, not even an inch of his limbs. Slade then knelt in front of the box and, while still holding him, took a key from his pocket to open the padlock. Robin didn't dare fight against the man's hold. The room was filled with the sound of his heavy breathing and the faint click of the lock that was opened. Slade then removed the lock and opened the lid of the box. Robin peered inside, prepared to see all kinds of tools, only to find it empty.

Robin was so confused. He didn't know how to react except gape with his mouth opening and closing like a fish on dry soil. He had planned on asking what the heck this was about, but he couldn't address his thoughts in words. All that came out was some random gibberish like, "Slade, I, what, this, I-" without any sense really. Slade then stood up to stand, Robin still hard pressed against his chest. Once he stood to his full height, Robin couldn't reach the floor with his feet anymore.

"I'm sorry, Robin," Slade murmured into Robin's ear, the words like ice cold water pouring onto his back. He felt like he had just swallowed a glassful of ice cubes at once.

"Slade, no! No, no, no, no, no! Don't, please, _please_!" The last plea wasn't one of those moaned begs like the words before it, but more like a scream of absolute horror. Oh god, Slade wasn't going to do what he thought he would. Slade was lowering Robin inside the box. He was thrashing and kicking as hard as he could, fighting against his grip, as if his life was on the line. "Slade! Don't do it, no! I'll do anything! Please, let go! Don't!"

Robin yelled, whined, begged, and cried for all he was worth. He thrashed in Slade's grip, ready to go on a full rampage if it meant that he wasn't forced to go inside the box. Oh god, Slade would stuff him in and lock the lid and he'd leave him down there to die! It would be dark, cramped, the air would be so thick, and he wouldn't be able to move. The space would become smaller and smaller, crushing his bones as the walls ground him to mush. Robin could see himself as his bones snapped and broke as the walls constricted against him.

"Don't do it, I beg of you, please!" Robin managed to get his hands free. He tried swinging them in the air, to catch whatever he could. He even tried to grab and scratch at Slade, whatever to get him to let go. But nothing helped. The man was strong and Robin was already sitting inside the box with his knees against his chest. Slade forced his hands to stay put while pressing his head down and sealed the lid. The moment he had let go, Robin started to claw at the lid, trying to force it open. He could barely lift it one millimeter, letting only a sliver of light into the box. Not soon after, the lid was forced shut once again and Robin heard a click.

"Slade let me go! Please let me free! Slade!" Robin pleaded and begged, not at all ashamed of his cowardice. It was like reliving the moment of his youth. Robin felt the tears stream down his cheeks. "Slade, please, let me go!" Robin was losing his confidence and will to fight. He just wanted to go unconscious.

"I'll return for you after two hours."

Robin could note the sorrow in Slade's words. If Robin had been coherent enough, he would know that he was truly sorry for what he had done. Instead, he felt rage take over him. He wanted to yell, wanted out, and wanted to tear Slade a new one for locking him up like this.

"Slade, you bastard! I hate you! You are the vilest thing of them all! You are a complete waste of flesh, an idiot, a…" Robin was ready to think up more curses to call him, but he didn't get the chance when he heard Slade's retreating footsteps. Sadness soon overtook him. "Why Slade? Why do you do this? Slade, I'm so scared! Please, let me go! Slade, help me! I'm so scared! Take me out of here! Slade, you promised me! You promised me you would never use this weakness against me! Why have you taken your words back? …Slade please, open the lid! Get me out of here! Slade…!"

Robin knew he was pleading and whining like a little kid, he couldn't deny that, but he was just so terrified of the enclosure. The emptiness of the box came crushing against him. The silence was so overwhelming. It seemed that every sound was swallowed up by it and crushed by the limited space in the box. The only sounds he heard were his own gasps, the loud sound of blood pulsing in his veins, even the loud ringing in his ears and the popping of his joints, but most of all, he heard the retreating footsteps outside the box and then the sudden, loud slam as the door was shut. Robin instantly felt the panic overwhelm him. It was too tight. The box was too narrow. He had to bury his head to his knees to fit and his hands were in an extremely uncomfortable position. He felt his joints becoming stiff and was feeling faint. His neck hurt and he felt like his skin was impaled by hundreds of needles. Suddenly, his skin became cold as ice, even as if his insides were burning him alive. This was it, he was going to die. Not because of the lack of space, but because his body was killing him. He was burning from the inside out. Robin could swear that his guts were twisting and clenching inside of him, forming knots. It felt like they were about to snap if he tried to reach out to push against the walls to try and break the box. It was like something was about to make him collapse in on himself. Robin could feel saliva foaming from his mouth and he was shaking. He was shaking like a weathered leaf in the autumn breeze. He could feel the walls pushing against him everywhere. Robin tried to gasp for air, but it was like breathing old air, which wasn't right. That meant he was only getting carbon dioxide to his lungs instead of oxygen.

Robin weakly tried to push against the walls in a last ditch effort, but he only managed to squeeze himself into a more uncomfortable position. The box's edge was making him curl into sharper angles. He hurt, his blood wasn't circulating properly, and it felt like the pincushion for every needle in the world. Every time the sharp point stuck deeper and deeper into his skin, Robin cried and moaned in pain. The box was so dark that he barely saw a thing, but he hated it. He couldn't push away the fact that he was inside a box and couldn't get free.

He would never get out of this box. He'd be mummified inside of it. His skin would rot and maggots would eat him alive. It wasn't long before he started to hallucinate. It seemed like the box walls were bending, coming closer, crushing him. He could feel maggots as they bit his skin on their way up his feet. Robin couldn't take it. He started to crash. He tried to hit and stomp on the worms to kill them, but no matter what he did, they just kept coming. The walls of the box intimidated him and the air was too thin to breath.

"Slade please. Please help me," Robin begged weakly.

He started to hyperventilate, trying to take in all the air he could. He didn't stop, even when the headache was too bad to bear. The blood came rushing to his brain and he felt heavy. He felt so heavy and stiff it was like all his weight was packed to his head. He couldn't even move it anymore. His lungs hurt and he felt as if there was something impaling his whole chest, pushing past his intestines and crushing his lungs until it reached his heart, tearing and shredding it. His mouth and throat had suddenly gone completely dry, almost as if they were stuffed with cotton. His lungs stung so bad that he couldn't even describe it with words. Robin's last words, before he felt like he was drowning, were a moan and Slade's name on his lips. Soon, sweet, sweet darkness consumed him, turning his brain off and letting him rest. Robin got to enjoy the bliss of ignorance, even if it only lasted for a moment…


End file.
